A Liar's Paradise
by Apprentice Writer
Summary: "Unless all the lies are reveal, every single one, our clans will be destroyed." What kind of cat would be better for this job then a paranoid she-cat?
1. Allegiances

**Okay, I've really been wanting to write a Warriors story recently, and I finally gave in. But only as I was writing this did I realize I don't have enough cats that won't steal the spotlight. So I want some help. I need the cat's name, age, pelt colour, fur colour, personality, skills, background and any secrets their keeping from the clan. Don't tell me which clan they should be in, please. I don't want everyone rushing to the same the way, if I really like the character, a chapter will be from their perspective.**

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**Nightclan**

Leader: Bloodstar – dark russet she-cat with pale blue eyes

Deputy: Swiftstream - pretty pale silver tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes Apprentice: Rosepaw

Medicine Cat: Quietheart- small black tom with amber eyes

Warriors: Passionfire – large black tom with amber eyes Apprentice: Patchpaw

Rabbitleap – tiny brown tom

Moondance – very pale silver tom with green eyes

Sunpelt - pale ginger she-cat

Badgerfur – black and white tom cat

Eagleswoop – very large tabby she-cat with amber eyes Apprentice: Midnightpaw

Apprentices: Patchpaw – black and white tom

Rosepaw – light brown she-cat

Midnightpaw – black tom cat with dark blue eyes

Queens: Sootflower – very dark grey she-cat with amber eyes

Elders: Sparrowsong – pale russet she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat

Lionpelt - golden brown she-cat, Swiftstream's mother

Tigerslash – tall tabby tom, Swiftstream's father

Kits: Miragekit - very pale silver she-cat with light blue eyes. Sootfur's kit

Dusk-kit – very dark grey she-cat with green eyes. Sootfur's kit

**Moorclan**

Leader: Sharpstar- large dark brown she-cat

Deputy: Brackenpelt – large tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Dreamclaw – thin golden tabby tom cat with blue eyes

Warriors: Frozenleaf – white she-cat with black spots and blue eyes Apprentice: Lightpaw

Splashspots – grey she-cat with black spots and paws and yellow green eyes

Rushclaw – Black tom with white stripes Apprentice: Cedarpaw

Beastclaw - large tabby tom with amber eyes

Icestorm - white she-cat with dark blue eyes

Apprentices: Cedarpaw - deep brown tom

Lightpaw - white she-cat

Queens: Heathersong – black she-cat with grey paws and heather coloured eyes

Elders: Frailpelt - dusty brown she-cat

Dawneyes - tabby she-cat. Blind.

Kits: Aquakit – blue-grey she-cat with white spots and paws. Has grey eyes. Heathersong's kit.

Lightkit – light ginger she-cat with darker paws and yellow orange eyes. Heathersong's kit.

Softkit – white she-cat with ginger spots and light blue eyes. Heathersong's kit

**Rainclan**

Leader: Sandstar – pale ginger she-cat with deep brown eyes

Deputy: Hawkclaw- dark brown tom with sharp amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Dustcloud- long furred brown she-cat with a very long tail

Warriors: Firefur - flame coloured tom with green eyes Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Snowfoot - grey tom with white paws Apprentice: Breezepaw

Lilysong - a small pale ginger tabby with dark amber eyes

Foxclaw – a black and brown she-cat

Gingerclaw – a ginger tom

Apprentices: Breezepaw - pale tabby tom

Cloudpaw - pale grey she-cat

Queens: Darkmoon - dark tabby she-cat with very dark blue eyes. Expecting kits.

Elders: Stormwind - dark grey tom with lighter grey stripe, white paws and yellow eyes. Blind.

**Treeclan**

Leader: Darkstar – silver tabby with dark green eyes

Deputy: Shrewfur- small light brown tom with deep amber eyes Apprentice: Sunpaw

Medicine Cat: Larkwing- pale tabby she-cat

Warriors: Leaf-fall – tabby she-cat with green eyes Apprentice: Nightpaw

Wildpelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with dark blue eyes

Scarshadow - smokey black tom Apprentice: Wolfpaw

Wilyfang - light grey tom with white paws

Darkclaw - black and brown she-cat

Apprentices: Wolfpaw - large grey tom

Nightpaw - black she-cat

Sunpaw - golden tabby tom

Queens: None

Elders: Coldheart - stone grey she-cat with ice blue eyes

**Cats Outside the Clans**

Claw - massive dark brown tabby tom with broad shoulders and leafy green eyes.

Storm - stormy-grey tom with blue eyes

Ash - dark grey tom with pale blue eyes

Rose - creamy-red she-kit with pale blue eyes

Lexi - ginger she-cat with darker paws and green eyes

Jay - grey tom with grey fur and on blueish paw

Holly - black she-cat with green eys and one redish paw

Leaf - light brown tabby she-cat

Cloud - white and grey tabby tom

Tadpole - dappled grey tabby with yellow eyes

Red - dark ginger tom, blind

Grass - little tabby she-cat with green eyes

Starvation - slim white she-cat

Joker - big white tom

Charcoal - small black tom with golden eyes

**Description of the clans**

Nightclan: These cats hunt and fight at night. They are considered sneak and greedy. Disliked among the clans. Their territory is mostly pine trees.

Moorclan: Live on the Moor. They are the fastest of the clans and a little stuck up. Rather liked among the clans.

Rainclan: The swimmers. Most of other cats consider them lazy because they fish. These cats tend to dislike being around cats from the other clans.

Treeclan: The friendliest of the clans. They are skilled climber and live in a forest territory. They allow in more cats then the other clans, making them seem weak to the others.


	2. Prologue

**Yes, I'm starting already, since the first few chapters are all about cat's from Nightclan. I'll edit the other chapter as I get more cats.**

**Disclaimer, I own only the cats in this, and not even all of them either.**

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"Tell me, Quietpaw, how is she?" a light russet she-cat asked, worried. It had been several moons since the spread of the great illness. The great illness had been spread by the birds, and caused extremely high fevers. It was incredibly deadly and even when cured it left the sick cat's body permanently damaged. The medicine cats of all four clans had to work together to cure it, and even then, many cats were too far gone too make it. The cat they had been speaking about was one of them.

"I'm afraid she's not going to make it. But she wants to talk to you," the small tom known as Quietpaw mewed out sadly. The young cat was never good at dealing with death, and this was beyond agony for him. Both his parents had been killed by the illness, and now the cat who lay dying in his den was the last important person to him. "Please don't tell her this, in her men-"

"I was a medicine cat once myself, foolish tom, I know how to deal with a dying patient," hissed the other cat quietly, cuffing the small tom over the ears. Turning away from him, she took in a deep breath and went down into the medicine cat's den.

"Sparrowsong…" came the weak voice of a grey tabby she-cat. "I'm glad he let you in, you know how he is. So nervous…" The grey cat was sounding rather delirious. The elderly she-cat quickly realized she had had too many poppyseeds and was on the verge of falling asleep.

"Quietpaw's just a bit timid, but he respects other cat's wishes. Remember that time he tried the practice fighting with Rabbitleap? He was terrorfied, but he tired to help," the elderly she-cat, Sparrowsong, laughed out, trying to cheer the dying cat up.

"So helpful… It will get him into trouble one day. I'm always telling him not the listen to every cat who wants him to do something, but it's ironic that right now I'm telling him to do something unnecessary. Then again, it is my dying wish," trailed off the grey cat.

"Don't think like that, Shadowflower! You're going to be fine, Quietpaw told me so," reassured the elderly she-cat, rubbing against the dying she-cat. The contagious part of the illness had long since past. In fact, all of illness had passed, it was just that her body was too weak to survive after that long struggle she had with it, but most importantly how she refused to be treated until everyone else was cured or had passed on.

"Are you trying to tell me, the clan's current medicine cat, that my apprentice knows more about my current state then I do?" the grey cat called Shadowflower said looking at her former mentor with dull eyes and an unamused expression. She wasn't going to be fooled like that. "Besides, for a cat named Quietpaw, he sure is loud. When I strain my ears, I can hear what is said outside the den, and I heard him say I won't likely to live. Btu I already knew that. I called you down here to tell you something important though."

"You should have been resting instead of listening like a gossiping queen!" Sparrowsong exclaimed, preparing to cuff the sick cat before she stopped herself. As a medicine cat she was famous for cuffing her patients. A popular joke around the clans was that she was ordered to retire by Starclan for the safety of all ill cats. But her habit of cuffing cats wasn't helping anyone right now. She calmed down, and licked the other cat behind the ear. "Sorry for snapping at you. If you know you're going to die and you need to tell me something, I'll listen. I won't turn away the last request of a dying cat."

"I knew you wouldn't teacher, that's why I'm telling you instead of Quietpaw. He wouldn't let me get word out trying to convince me I would survive. Flusters too much, that kit," Shadowflower mewed, letting out a deep breath. "Anyway, when I pass on, I want you to finish teaching him the herbs. He's talented, but he's young. Then when he's ready, go with him to the Moon Clearing. Give him his true name as a medicine cat, Quietheart, yes that fits him… Call him Quietheart." With that she rested her head on the nest.

"You are, and always will be my apprentice, but when you can't finish your apprentice's training, I'll do it for you. Now, rest, young one," the elder said, resting her muzzle on the she-cat's head before turning to go.

"Wait!" came a croak from behind her. "Don't assume I'm done just because I lie down. That's so rude!" The cat's voice was a little too loud for her, and she broke out coughing. Her old mentor rushed over to her and nudged her until she settled down. It was Shadowflower's biggest flaw; she got all upset and raised her voice over nothing.

"Well, if you still had something to tell me, I'll listen. But it better be pretty important, you need to rest," the elder sighed out. By now she was used to dealing with the medicine cats little fits. She had known her since she was a young kit after all.

"As you get closer to death, a medicine cat's connection to Starclan gets much, much stronger. I've never been very close to them, but I have something to say. I've seen it now. The big danger in the future of the clan. There's something blocking cats from getting to Starclan," the dying she-cat said, flipping onto her back. The elder was about to say something, but Shadowflower silences her, she wasn't done. "Not all cats, but soon it will be all of us. Lies build up over the years. We think that once we die, they won't matter, but they do. They hurt our souls. Normally it would be the cat by themselves, but since we have such a large gathering of souls that are all connected, Starclan, its blocking cats from getting in. If cats can't get into Starclan, the clans will be destroyed. But there is hope. If we reveal those secrets, our souls will be saved." The she-cat wheezed a bit from her long rant before turning over and looking at her mentor and saying her conclusion. "Unless all the lies are revealed, every single one, our clans will be destroyed."

"Oh, Shadowflower, I have something to tell you!" the elder said, digging her face into the dying cats pelt. "It's about Bloodstar-"

"Hush, mentor, that's not your secret, to share not completely. Unless you all admit it to everyone, it will only make things worse. But for now, I just want to sleep…" The grey she-cat said before drifting off.

"Goodnight, dear apprentice…" Sparrowsong said, digging her face into her apprentice's fur. "Nobody has ever worked as hard as you, and now you are going to a better place." The she-cat left den to get the Shadowflower's apprentice so they could mourn the dying cat together. But meanwhile, something else was happening. A small pale silver she-cat was looking over at the two cats who were standing just outside the medicine cats den from over her mother's back. She wondered what was going on, and thought perhaps they were hiding something big from the clan, but she let it go. She'd find out soon enough. She'd find out everything soon enough.

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**No, I'm not going to tell you who the kit is. If you can't guess, look cat how the kit is described then go back to the last page.**


	3. Tension

**Okay, This chapter follows Swiftstream, even though she's not the main character. I'll be rotating cats every chapter, though the same cat can come up more then once. Next chapter with be Miragekit for sure.**

**Disclaimer: I own only the clans, the clans, and the territory, and I don't even own all of the cats. Don't sue me.**

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It was the middle of the night, the moon lighting the Nightclan camp. Normally, at this time, few cats would be awake, perhaps a few cats keeping guard or making dirt, but this was Nightclan. The camp was bustling. Most of the warriors were sharing tongues around the fresh kill pile, out hunting, or training their apprentices. The rest were sleeping away in the warrior's den, since they had been on the sun high patrol. Nightclan considered themselves special, since they were the only clan that hunted at night, explaining their name sake. Ever since the days of their first leader, Nightstar, they'd been this way, in secret. They put out patrols at the same times as the other clans to make it seem like they hunted in day light like the other clans, but that was a ruse.

Some cats thought the way they hunted and lived was stupid, since the cats on sun high patrol always had to sleep in because they were so tired, but it also helped with night time raids, and because every other clan was unaware of this little fact about them, they never had to worry about another clan attacking while they slept. The other clans were so predictable, attacking when Nightclan was 'sleeping'. Yet all these good things didn't make being woken up by an excited apprentice any less annoying.

"Come on, Swiftstream! Wake up! Wake up!" mewed a light brown she-cat, nudging her mentor, a slim silver tabby. The apprentice was just full of energy and had seemed to have forgotten that her mentor had been leading the patrol the day before. Grudgingly, the older cat rolled over and blinked up at her. It was lucky she was the deputy, so she could give this little order to her apprentice.

"I was on Sunhigh patrol yesterday, Rosepaw. Find some other cat to train with, tell them Swiftstream ordered it, but don't tell them it's because I need to sleep…" Swiftstream said before drifting off again. Ah, she loved sleeping… Then she heard the worse possible outcome.

"I'll take you, Rosepaw. We'll have a great time!" came the voice of the most flirtatious tom in the clan. Why, why did it have to be him? Leaping up, the deputy barged her way in between the two cats.

"Never mind, I'm up. Hey, Rosepaw, let's go and do some battle training. Let's race to the clearing okay?" Swiftstream mewed out, urging her apprentice on. Once she was out of sight, she gave the tom a furious glare. "Stop flirting with my apprentice. I don't want her ending up in the nursery before she's even a warrior!"

"Well, it's not like I have much choice. It's either her, you, Rabbitleap, or Eagleswoop. Eagleswoop would break me in half, and while you are quite nice to look at…" the tom mewed, resting his tail on her shoulder, only to get it nipped at. "You keep chasing me off."

"That's because I'm deputy! I have responsibilities, unlike you, Passionfire!" snapped the she-cat, crouching down like she expected a fight. The black tom simply blew it off and backed up a bit.

"Hey, I have responsibilities too, just like every other warrior in this clan. They may not be as important as yours, but their mine. And what's wrong with the deputy having a mate?" Passionfire asked, already knowing the answer. They'd been over it many, many times. The tom was a big flirt and seemed to always be looking for a mate, even including the toms in his search.

"Where do I start? First, if I had kits with said mate, I'd lose my spot as deputy. Second, if you were said mate, you'd cheat on me, with you apprentice. And my apprentice. Then you would find a new mate as soon as you lost interest with me," Swiftstream mewed before turning her back on him and running off. They'd argued this too many times too make it worthwhile. Plus her apprentice was probably gloating about how she out raced the deputy. Let her have her fun for now, she was gonna get it during battle training.

Once she was out of the camp, Swiftstream took off full speed into the forest. She loved running through her territory at night, especially at night. The only thing that spoiled this run for her was how her legs were cramping up from exhaustion and how her breathing wasn't in its normal pattern. About eight moons ago, a weak case of the great illness, and even now it affected her, making her lungs weaker. But she had to thank the sickness for something too; it had killed off the deputy before her. She wasn't evil or anything, but secretly she was glad that happened. The tom was too old to make good decisions anyway, and Swiftstream had always wanted to be the deputy. And maybe leader some day, but she'd never do anything to hurt Bloodstar. She'd been like a second mother to her, during her apprenticeship, Bloodstar had been her mentor. They'd gotten along so well, and everyone knew Swiftstream was going to be the next deputy. The silver she-cat's mental babbling came to a sudden halt as her apprentice rammed into her.

"Oh, Swiftstream, I was just going back to look for you, since you took so long," Rosepaw said in a bit of a cocky voice. Her mentor felt the urge to cuff her for that, but resisted the urge. It would be a waste of time, making the little she-cat aware of how that got on the deputies nerves. Instead, she just continued on the training area while her apprentice followed behind her glowing with pride. Swiftstream couldn't wait to get that cocky expression of her face.

It wasn't long before the two arrived, blowing off the greatness of the training area. It was really a very nice place. A bit of sandy ground was had what appeared to be a moat around it with the training area for Nightclan. No one knew why this looked like it did, but most believed it was because an ancient river used to flow around it. But whatever had happened, they would be using it. Swiftstream easily leap over the little moat, gesturing for her apprentice to follow. Rosepaw did, her leap a little more fumbled. She was still a new apprentice and she needed to get her muscles much stronger. One Rosepaw had regained her balance, Swiftstream spoke up.

"Let's start with a review of what you already know," Swiftstream said, crouching down in the same way she had against Passionfire. It didn't take long for Rosepaw to catch on. She leapt at her mentor, trying to swipe her paw across her mentors face. Swiftstream let out an internal sigh and knocked her over. It was so sloppy. The little she-cat had much to learn before she was ready for any kind of battle.

"That was awful, complete fox-dung. First off, you attacked me head on instead of going for my back or sides. When a cat is crouching down they can't move to the side as easily. Use that against them. It's sort of cheap, yes, but it gets the job done," the deputy said, crouching again. This time her apprentice ran to the left of her and leapt on her, barreling her to the ground. She almost had her mentor pinned when she was flung off. The deputy had been expecting this and had gotten her hind legs under her to push her apprentice off. Predictable, but better than before.

"You're getting better, Rosepaw, but you need to be a lot more clever. Your body is built to be fast, but not that strong. Yes you can train it to be strong, but you won't have the big body other cats do. That's why I'm your mentor; I'll teach you to be smart and fast," the silver she-cat mewed. Only to get a sly comment from the apprentice.

"Aren't you only my mentor because you said Passionfire would have me in the nursery before I could be a warrior?" Rosepaw asked, oblivious to what the comment meant, and how it would affect her mentor. The deputy flinched. She'd had that agruement with Bloodstar in front of the entire clan, which was never done. A warrior, even if they were deputy, never told the leader that they'd made the wrong decision about a mentor, but then again, she was right and Bloodstar admitted it. Still it was a tender issue that she didn't like to talk about.

"L-let's just get back to training; you're on defensive this time," the deputy said, getting ready. Her apprentice dug her paws into the sand and waited. Swiftstream rushed at her, trying to tackle her over. The little she-cat dodged to the side and waited for the next attack. Rosepaw was great at dodging but not so good at attack, and that was why they worked on that first. As Swiftstream finally got a blow in, Rosepaw let out a howl. The older she-cat seemed confused. She hadn't hit her that hard, but her apprentice answered that question with a fearful howl.

"Moorclan! Moorclan is attacking!"

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**Please remember to review please and donate more cats!**


	4. Stories

**Wow, I updated fast, and it's the longest chapter yet.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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"Hurry! Hurry! Moorclan is attacking!" giggled out Miragekit, running around the nursery and occasionally batting at the invisible enemies, her sister at her side copying her every move. Normally, two health kits would be fighting each other, except Miragekit couldn't stand the thought of hurting her sister. As the only two kits in the nursery since Patchpaw and Rosepaw left, the two were exceptionally close and they refused to hurt each, even if it was only in play. Yet even this type of play had bad ends to it, as Dusk-kit backed up too much and stepped on their mother's tail.

"Yeow! Kits!" Sootflower mewed out angrily. "How many times have I told you, you're too big to play in here. If you want to play at all, do it outside." The two kits looked at their mother frightened, before she calmed down. She was normally as very kind cat, but any cat can seem grumpy when their tail gets stepped on during their nap. "Oh, I'm sorry my little ones. It's just I'm really tired. They had me on sunhigh patrol yesterday and the day before. Plus you two should have been in the apprentice's den two moons ago."

It was true, both she-cats were eight moons old, and most cats were already two months into training by this point. Yet they'd had a simple set back two months ago. White cough spread through the camp, infecting Miragekit and Dusk-kit refused to leave her side. When the leader told her she could become an apprentice, Dusk-kit refused and waited by her sister. During that time, she had also helped Quietheart with the other patients, but she'd had trouble remembering a lot of the herbs, so the medicine cat had decided that was not the path for her. Thinking back on this, Miragekit sighed. She had really hoped her sister had a talent for herb, since she was so scared of battle. Fact was, they both were, but Miragekit was more prepared to face it then her sister.

"But Mom," Miragekit mewed after thinking that over. "Moorclan just invaded the nursery."

"Well, I'm sure I can handle myself. I am a warrior and you two are just kits," Sootflower said gently, nudging the two out of den.

"We're not kits, I'm Miragestar, leader of Nightclan!" the older kit mewed as she was shoved out of the den. It was a bit difficult to get her out of the den, as all she had to do was stop her mother from pushing her up hill. The nursery was built in a small cave, and although it had the perfect defense, it was hard to get out of in a fight. Even as a kit, Miragekit could see that. It wasn't the brightest idea her clan ever had.

"And I'm Dusksky, deputy!" her sister said, following her out. She didn't even need to be nudged. She went where ever her big sister did. Their mother had tried many times before to convince them that they couldn't be together all the time when they were apprenticed, but when did kits learn to listen to their mother? They were going to have to learn that lesson the hard way.

"Well deputy and leader, you guys better attack the cats who are trying to steal our food. I'll handle myself," Sootflower replied, turning back into her den. Miragekit tried to run back in after her, but then backed up and dramatically turned away.

"A big silver brute got her. I tried to stop him, but it was too late," she said in an overdramatic voice. Turning to her sister she spoke again. "Let's not grieve for her for too long, we have to chase them out of camp!" With that they went back to their games, leaping over each other and swiping at invisible cats. Eventually, they got a bit too near the fresh kill pile and dusk-kit tumbled into it. Now everyone knew they had been playing around and a large tabby walked over to them.

"What are you two doing?" she said in a emotionless voice, but they weren't to be tricked by that voice. Looking into those glowing yellow eyes, they gulped. She was really angry at them. Every cat in the clan, and other clans too, knew not to mess with Eagleswoop; she was a fierce warrior who knew no pity. Not the type of cat you'd want as a mentor.

"We were playing," mewed out Dusk-kit in a tiny, high pitched voice. Lucky for her, the big she-cat was a real softy when it came to its. She just let out a huff and started to reorganize the fresh-kill pile, dropping a mouse in front of Miragekit and gesturing towards the elders den with her tail. In other word, she was telling them to get a story from the elders. Without another word, the two kits headed off there. They dropped the prey at old Sparrowsong's paws to avoid a cuff to the ears, she was famous for those.

"What a skinny mouse! Oh what has the clan fallen to, not even able to properly feed their elders?" The old she-cat said in an over dramatic voice. "Don't worry, I saw everything. Don't blame you two; unless you know her well, Eagleswoop is very scary. I remember back when she was a tiny kit she used to scare all the other kits so much they wouldn't play with her." At that, the elderly she-cat took a big bite out of her prey and passed the rest to the other elders, who finished it off.

"Can, you tell us a story please?" Dusk-kit said in her tiny voice. She had always been the one to beg for things, with that little voice of her's and that way she looked up at a cat, it was hard not to give in to her wishes. Miragekit was sure she would be a real heart-breaker when she was a warrior. That is, if she didn't feel sorry for them all so much she decided to be all of their mates. Ironically, the older sister saw that outcome a lot clearer than the other. It was just like her sister to do that…

"Fine, let's see…" the former medicine cat said, thinking off all the stories in her little list. Finally, she came up with one. "There's a story my mother used to tell me, long, long ago about the evil Larkstar and her deputy." The two sisters instantly perked up, excited. Everyone knew about the evil Larkstar, former leader of Rainclan. She was a terror who wanted the whole forest for herself. Yet there were few stories about her deputy, Windheart. He was apparently, just a plain cat who happened to have the wrong leader.

"One night, Larkstar and her cats attacked Nightclan, fiercely trying to extend their boarder. The battle was fierce and many cats were being lost from each clan. At first it seemed like Rainclan would win, but more and more Nightclan cats flooded into the battle. So we were pushing them back. But Larkstar wouldn't retreat. She stood above the battle, screaming at her cats how she would kill anyone who ran before they won. They were losing cats fast and something must be done. Her deputy, the brave Venomsong-" Sparrowsong mewed out in a dramatic voice before being cut off by Miragekit.

"But wasn't their deputy Windheart?" asked silver she-cat, confused. The elder silenced her with her tail and continued on.

"Her deputy, Venomsong, who had just been appointed after the death of Windheart. Now, Venomsong was one of the most hated cats among all the clan and was chosen because Larkstar was sure she shared her hatred for the other clans, but this she-cat did not. Venomsong was impaired. She could not hold back comment and said exactly what she thought, all the time, which was why the other cats hated her. But more than anything, Venomsong hated herself. She hated how her words wouldn't stop, how others turned from her, and how even her beloved feared her harsh tongue. And more than anything, she loved her clan. She loved all of the clan mates and would do anything to protect them. Leaping up on to the rock she snarled at her leader and did the bravest thing any cat could ever do," the elder said before changing her voice to rougher, more gravelly tone to represent Venomsong. "'Tell the clan to retreat, Larkstar!' yowled the black furred deputy, surprising her leader. 'Even you would turn against me, Venomsong?' the white furred leader said, crouching down and swishing her tail. 'You're a fool to ever thing I would follow you!' exclaimed the deputy, nearing her leader. The white furred she-cat backed up, only to find herself at the edge of the stone she was sitting on. She gave a little growl before sitting up straight again she letting out a laugh." The old cat gave a evil sound cackle, before turning her voice to nasally high pitched voice to represent Larkstar. "'Rainclan, kill them, then kill the traitor, Venomsong!' the evil leader yowled to her clan."

Suddenly the old she-cat stopped to lick herself, leaving the two kits nearly shaking their fur off to hear the rest. The old cat rolled on to her side and let out a dramatic moan. "Oh, I want to tell you two the rest of the story, but I'm too hungry. Then again, maybe if one of you brought us that big juicy rabbit from the fresh kill pile I could finish the story."

Dusk-kit moved first, darting over a grabbing the rabbit, an angry warrior hissing at her for grabbing the rabbit he was about to eat. But he didn't chase her and instead grabbed a vole from the pile. The dark grey kit dropped the prey at the elder's paws, who took quite a few bites before passing it along. It was large, but the three elders seemed to have large stomachs and finished it off in now time.

"Thank you, little one. It's not often you get rabbits in our territory; I haven't have one since the great illness swept the camp. That's a good story too; I'll tell you it later. Anyway, the evil leader, Larkstar yowled for her cats to kill Venomsong. The dark furred deputy lowered herself and growled out, 'You didn't listen to what I was saying, we're dying out here, and you're letting it happen!' The white furred she-cat let out another cackle and said, 'I don't care how many cats were lose, we will chase Nightclan off its territory and make it our own.' 'You are too greedy, Larkstar, and your greed will kill us all. Now, tell the clan to retreat, or I will kill you!' The brave deputy extended her claws and prepared to fight. 'Make me,' was how Larkstar responded, throwing herself at the brave warrior. A great battle was fought between the leader and her deputy. Five of the leader's lives were lost, her deputy ruthlessly taking them while she was down. Before taking the sixth life, the deputy hesitated. She knew, she knew she would never be leader, so she let Larkstar up. 'Tell the clan to retreat.' 'Never!' 'Then I will.' Turning to the two clan she yowled. 'Rainclan, your leader is killing you. She will not let your retreat until all of you are dead.' At that, all of the cats stopped fighting and started at the deputy. The white furred leader growled and lunged at her deputy again, but she was so tired that it was no match. Not to say she wasn't powerful, but she was boxed in and Venomsong was better than her. Nobody had noticed how strong the dark furred deputy had gotten since nobody liked her, but she was one of the strongest cats in the clan. With a single swipe, she took out the leader's sixth life. As she went down, Larkstar told then to continue. But the clan wasn't listening to her, they saw a new leader. Venomsong raised her tail and yelled to her Clan, 'Rainclan, retreat!' The Rainclan warrior rushed out of the camp faster than anyone thought possible for the lazy clan. The evil leader let out a huff and charged at the deputy again. Venomsong just pointed her claws at her a growled. 'This is your last life, Larkstar. Don't waste it, follow the clan, I'll be right behind you.' And with that the two cats left. Two days later Venomsong was found dead on the edge of our territory. Nightclan mourned for the great deputy, and held vigil for her. Do to the great sacrifice she gave, and the place she stood, the rock that our leader speaks from, once called High Rock, was now called Song stone, as it is today."

The two kits squealed excitedly and ran out of the elder's den to play a game, jumping on to rocks, the portrayed the two cats, getting some of words wrong, but still playing it just fine. As their game was coming to a close, a yowled sounded at the entrance of the camp.

"Moorclan, Moorclan is attacking!" Oh the irony…

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**If your wondering why Sootflower was on a patrol when she's a queen, it's because their are so few cats left. Also, Venomsong's story turned out alot longer then planned.**


	5. Beserk

**Before you read this chapter, you might want to read over the last one, one more time, there are a lot of freaky coincidences. Anyway, this chapter is from Moondance's point of view, if you can't tell.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Within seconds, the camp was a mass of yowls and battle cries. Cats on cat, twisting in a sea of chaos, blood splattering all over the place. Within seconds, all hell had been let loose. It wasn't like that wasn't normal for a battle, but was still terrifying. Why anyone would ever want to start a fight, something like this, Moondance would never know. Among the clan he was well known as a pacifist, and at the moment he was guarding the nursery. If any cat got in there, it would be all over for his mate and kits. He knew he would have to fight when cats got close, but for now he'd wait.

From where he sat, he could see everything. This new warrior, Rabbitleap was tussling with a white she-cat. If he remembered correctly, that would be Frozenleaf, one of the older warriors and a real tough cat. She was wailing the living daylights out of the small warrior, who was crouching on the ground. Moon dance longer d to go and help him, but he couldn't leave the nursery. Yes, that was right, that was why he sat here still, not the secret terror resting in the chest. He was a warrior and warriors couldn't be terrified of battle. And even if they were, they would die before they let any cat know, or was that just him? As he thought about this, he could see how the rest of the fight went. Rabbitleap lose, but the she-cat was kind enough to let him live. But her next target had him worried.

Badgerfur was already fighting off two warriors, another, younger white she-cat with blue eyes like her, named Icestorm and a fierce grey she-cat with black spots and strange yellow-green eyes. Ah, it was Splashspots. Neither of these two were the best fighters, but neither was Badgerfur. How could he be fighting off both at once? Then he notice Rosepaw limping away, just behind them. Of course, he parental instinct had kicked into overdrive. But if Frozenleaf made it there, he was as good as done for. Moondance prepared himself to go and help, only to find help was already on the way.

With a massive leap, Eagleswoop, landed on Frozenleaf's back, pinning her down and battering her. She continued this way until the older she-cat let out a horrible yowl. The big tabby got off and Frozenleaf ran off out of the camp. Moondance had always found it amazing how Eagleswoop fought. She was big and strong but that wasn't all, it was like her paws were guided by Starclan when she fought. He'd never once seen her defeated. Surely she was the best fighter in all the clans. Looking back at the fight, Badger fur had defeated the white cat and was moving on the Splashspots. Moondance has already figured how that fight would end and decided to look for his other clan mates.

Passionfire was fighting a large black tom with white stripes alongside his apprentice, Patchpaw. They were racing around the tom, scratching him and nipping at his paws. The tom finally made a strike, leaping onto Passionfire's back, only to be flung off. As soon as that happened, Patchpaw rushed forward and scratched the tom's face, aiming for the eyes but narrowly missing and getting the ears. The big tom tried to back up, only to have his tail bitten by Passionfire. With a yowl, he realized he was defeated and fled, crashing through the thorn bushes that surrounded the camp.

Moondance was turning to see the next little fight when a large dark brown she-cat tackled him. As soon as he was out of the way, she rushed into the nursery. With a panic, the silver tom rushed after her. Not the nursery, his kits were in there. When he arrived, Sootflower was batting at the big she-cat, with Miragekit and Dusk-kit hiding behind her. The first priority was to get them out. The big tom grabbed Miragekit and rushed her out.

"Find some place safe and hide. I'll take care of your mother!" the male mewed at his daughter before rushing back into the den. Sootflower was still fighting the big she-cat, and now even Dusk-kit was assisting, chomping onto the Moorclan cat's tail. Once she pushed Sootflower down, she batted Dusk-kit to the side and continued her attack, leaping onto the dark grey queen's back. They scuffled on the ground for a bit, before Sootflower got the other she-cat off.

"I was hoping your clan would have some younger kits, I know how you like to hide things from the other clans at the gatherings," mewed the enemy, not even out of breathe. "Looks like you were being honest for once. I'll have the settle for killing the ones you have." Sootflower snarled at her and wrapped her tail protectively around her kit, lowering herself to the ground.

"I always thought you were a monster, Sharpstar. Every cat agrees that Blackstar made a mistake when she appointed you," growled out the little queen. This angered the other she-cat who leapt at her. At this point, Moondance did the only brave thing he'd done for this whole battle. He leapt at her as she came down on his mate, knocking her against the wall.

After this battle was done, Moondance would never be able to tell you what it was like. He couldn't see anything through his rage. He couldn't hear because of the pumping blood in his ears. But he still fought. If he was winning or losing he would never know. He knew he was slicing fur, he knew he was doing something, but at the same time, he knew something was happening to him yet he could barely feel it. There was some pain in her shoulder, in his stomach felt torn open, but he wasn't going to stop. Suddenly, it felt like the other body had separated from his, but he was not letting her go. Her lunged forward and attacked, this time the other cat was much weaker and didn't struggle. He felt warm blood splash over his paw and heard a wail go up. He backed up and let his vision return to him.

What he expected to see was the Moorclan leader lying on her side dead, but that wasn't what he saw. The leader was bleeding badly, but she was alive. She ran up the tunnel and spoke down to him. Something in her voice seemed cruel, and though he couldn't pick out the words, he knew something was wrong. Looking over at his mate, he understood. She was laying on her side, blood spilling from her throat, horrified expression on her face and her eyes glassy. Dusk-kit sat beside her, wailing sadly. Moondance looked up at the smug leader and snarled.

"How could you? How could you do this to my mate? My beautiful Sootflower!" he yowled up to her. The brown leader let out a strange cruel meow that he considered a cackle and rolled her eyes.

"I did attack her, yes, but her blood isn't on my paws. Did you even know you were a beserker?" Sharpstar asked, her eyes gazing at his face. As his got more and more horrified her's grew more and more sadistic and she let out another round of her cackle. "That's right. The blood is on your paws, not mine. I had been planning to kill your kits as revenge to what your clan did to Smallpaw, but this is much, much better. Tah-tah for now, beserker."

"Sharpstar!" he yowled, rushing out of the den after her, only to find Moorclan retreating. He gave chase, but his anger weighted him done and even at his best, he couldn't out run a Moorclan cat. They were the fastest of all clans do to their home and how they were built. As he fell further and further behind, Moondance let out a awful cry, full of anguish and horror. He cried out several times, coming to a full stop before heading back to the camp. He saw injured and blood, but none of that mattered now, his mate was dead. His beautiful Sootflower. As he returned to the nursery, he heard the tiny voice of his youngest daughter.

"How could you…" she said, walking along side him.

"I didn't know. I didn't know…" he said, his voice filled with the remnants of his pain. His heart felt so empty and cold at the moment. His world was empty. Nothing mattered except Sootflower, and Sootflower was gone.

"I won't judge you for this… But, please, don't tell Miragekit… Tell her some other cat did this, but don't break her trust in the clan. She doesn't need that, so please. Please lie to her." That came as a surprise. From a cat son tiny, Dusk-kit was quite wise. With a little nod, he agreed. She was so much like her mother. That gave him a little left to live for. His wise and adorable little Dusk-kit.

As they got to the nursery, a loud wail went up. Miragekit had come back for her mother, only to find a corpse. She tried to nudge the body, to wake her up, but it was only smearing the blood into her pretty pale silver fur. Her voice rose again, getting more and more miserable. Why would anyone do this to her mother? As soon as her father appeared, she ran over and buried her face into the silver fur of the brute who had killed her mother.

"Who, who did this to her? Why, why would they? Who did this?" she wailed, her cries muffled by the silver fur. Her father rested his tail on her head and calmly spoke, naming a cat that had not even been in the battle. Really he just pulled a name out of thin air, but he remembered how vicious this she-cat was.

"Heathersong, Heathersong of Moorclan killed your mother."

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**Are Miragekit's predictions eerily true, or what?**


	6. Apprentice

**Sorry this chapter is so late! I was busy! Anyway, It's the longest one yet, so I hope that helps.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Running from one cat to the next, Quietheart looked over the injuries. The battle that had just been fought was not one to drive them out but one the kill them. It made the young medicine cat nervous. He'd never had to take care of so many cats in critical conditions at once. Moondance had his stomach clawed very badly, and all that running only made things worse, and poor Rabbitleap sported a torn throat. Not enough to kill him, but enough to keep him in the medicine cats den for about a moon. Moondance would have to be kept in for about that long too, confined to t6he medicine den.

The black furred tom let out a little groan, not only were their patrols going to be weaker than ever, he would be too busy to get out of camp. Confined into this place, confined with other cats, unable to get out, that was the worst thing possible for him. True it was selfish, but he loved being free from duty. Yet he had chosen the path of Medicine cat. Nothing could be more confining. Or perhaps that was why he craved freedom so much. Because he could never truly have it. Letting out a sigh, he heard the small sound of a kit voice. Well, not really a kit, she was supposed to be an apprentice by now, by she was still young.

"Father, please tell me more about this Heathersong. Please, please. I need to know," Miragekit mewed to her father. She and Dusk-kit had been spending their days in this den, since neither of them could handle the carnage outside. It hadn't rained since the battle and the clearing was covered with scarlet blood. For two kits who had just lost their mother, that would be the worst scene, and they needed their father. As medicine cat, Quietheart was in charge of their physical and mental health.

"Sister, we shouldn't pester him when he's like this," the younger kit, Dusk-kit mewed. Although her sister heard this, she took no heed. Of course, this didn't surprise Quietheart one bit. Miragekit had just lost her mother, and that could warp any cat's soul. He'd often times heard of cats that went crazy with the thought of getting revenge for a fallen parent, mate, or friend. Often time, the most evil seeming cats only did things out of a twisted love or revenge. Of course, most cats wouldn't see it that way, but as a medicine cat, Quietheart could. He never held a grudge against the cats that did these things. He just couldn't. Yet still he knew he'd have to alert the leader about the little silver she-cat. It could be dangerous for her to be near Moorclan.

As he thought about this, he sorted through the herb, looking for the poppy-seeds. He could never keep this place clean. It was the smallest den in the whole camp, except the leader's of course, but he still couldn't keep it clean. Yet, that too was an important part of his duties to the clans. I always seemed to him like he was not suited for this life. Maybe he should have picked something else, maybe then he wouldn't feel this guilt tearing at his heart. It seemed his path was riddled with signs that this life wasn't meant for him. His inner world got the best of him, until of course, he found the poppy-seeds. He may be the wrong medicine cat for this clan, but that didn't mean his problems came above that of his clan mates.

"How are you going to kill this cat if you don't know what she looks like?" Moondance mewed to his daughter sternly as Quietheart padded over. It was the good thing that the little cat didn't know anything about the cat that Moondance had told her killed her mother. Besides Miragekit, every cat in the clan knew what really happened to the gentle queen, yet no cat had the heart, or the stupidity to tell the silver kit the truth. That would completely destroy her.

"I know what she looks like. She's big silver cat," Miragekit mewed, shocking every cat. That wasn't possible. How could she know the ca t6that killed her mother was silver. At first Quietheart though she was just guessing, but when he looked at her, he saw a glimmer of knowledge in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat. She knew. How could she know? Yet she didn't know it was her father. So he'd have to ask.

""H-How did you know that?" the young medicine cat mewed. Two ideas popped into his mind. Either she saw it herself, or she was receiving dreams. A faint glow of hope went up in his heart. Yes, yes! If she had that gift to speak to Starclan, then he could be out of this den as soon as he finished training her. He gave a silent pray to his warrior ancestors as she opened her mouth to mew back.

"Last night, I was curled up in my nest, and I dreamed that Moorclan attacked the camp. A big brown she-cat barged into the nursery and a silver cat followed her in. The rest is kind of blurry, but I remember seeing the silver cat kill my mother. I couldn't remember much of the details earlier, but then I thought it would be a really fun game to play, so Dusk-kit and I decided to play it out. I-I didn't think it would really happen though," the tiny cat said, getting a little shaking near the end. Quietheart felt his pumping with emotion. His joy was matched only by his rage at the fact the little she-cat hadn't mentioned it. Then again, would any cat have believed her? Would she have even known it was a prophecy? His fur settled down as he thought that through. It wasn't her fault.

"Miragekit, can you tell me which herbs I used on your father?" Quietheart asked in a little voice. Moondance's eyes widened and he looked at the medicine cat. Was his kit really destined for this? The little silver cat wrapped her tail around her paws, thinking about the herbs. Her eyes widened and she spoke out excitedly.

"You used marigold on it before you wrapped it up with cobwebs, right? I heard you mention that was good for preventing infections. Am I right? Am I?" She mewed out, before stopping. The young medicine cat felt sorry for doing this. The little she-cat was excited about knowing that, so much so that she'd almost forgotten about her mother. Then once she remembered, she felt guilty for forgetting. Quietheart remembered how that felt. When he was young, his mother had been attacked by a fox and was killed. For a whole moon, he felt guilty everytime he thought of something funny or enjoyed himself. Wrapping his tail around the kit he nodded. She looked away, trying to avoid letting the other cats know how it hurt her, the turmoil of emotions.

"Say, Miragekit, could to put some more of that on your father and Rabbitleap. I need to go talk to Bloodstar," the young medicine cat mewed, waiting until he saw the little cat get the right herbs before leaving. She was quite clever, though he'd have to check on her work before he rested. Today's work had exhausted him. Starclan, he was out of practice. No battles had happened since the great illness, as if the clans had a silent treaty. Too bad that treaty had ended.

As the black furred tom arrived in the den, he noted the injuries on the dark ginger leader. Her shoulder was soaked with the blood she was named after. The medicine cat narrowed his eyes, but let it go. He knew how the leader hated to admit she was injured. It made her seem weak to the clan, but she still would need some healing. Perhaps he would convince her to be healed in secret? But down to business.

"Those kits can't sleep in the nursery anymore," Quietheart mewed. The leader turned to him and nodded, avoiding speaking so that he couldn't hear the strain of pain in her voice. "For their mental safety, as well as to help them get over their pain quickly, I suggest you make them apprentices."

"I was already planning on that," said the she-cat with a hissing, making her sound extremely irritated. Bloodstar was a fierce enemy, feared among the clans, and even though he knew she meant him no harm, Quietheart felt him body try to back away. Only do to his long experience with dealing with her could Quietheart avoid making this gesture. "I plan to give Miragekit to Sunpelt and Dusk-kit to Rabbitleap. But from the look in your eye, you have a suggestion."

"Yes. I was speaking to Miragekit earlier, and she told me about her dream last night. The one about a Moorclan attacking and big silver cat killing her mother, and even about a big dark brown she-cat breaking into the nursery," Quietheart said, waiting for her to catch on. When she did, her eyes widened and she sucked in her breathe.

"She's touched by Starclan?" the leader asked, and Quietheart nodded. "Then that means you want her as your apprentice. Good, then I'll only have to inform Rabbitleap. You tell him for me though. I'm having trouble walking." Quietheart sighed and got up. He sniffed over the wound, making the leader hiss at him, and he glared at her.

"I'll need to treat your wound before the ceremony, Bloodstar. Don't bother struggling this time; you need to be treated so you can jump on to Song Stone," he mewed calmly, though his eyes were a little angry. "When I go tell Rabbitleap about his apprentice, I'll get you some herbs too. I know you don't like being forced into the medicine cats den." The small tom thought about the time when the leader got the great illness and refused to come to his den, though it wasn't his den yet, and insisted on being treated in her den. It was funny how she did all that to see strong, yet she seemed weaker because of it. Walking back to his den, he collected from marigold and cobwebs before walking over to Rabbitleap.

The application too his neck was a bit sloppy and there was too much marigold, but for a kit it was good. He reminded himself to teach her proper application of herbs as soon as her vigil for her mother was finished. As he pasted by the new warrior, he whispered Bloodstar's message in his ear, making the young tom's eyes sparkle. It was allow exciting for a cat to get their first apprentice. Before the cat could thank him, Quietheart had left his den and was heading back to leader. He quickly chewed up the marigold and put it on Bloodstar's shoulder, then covered that with the cobwebs. As soon as he finished that, the leader limped out of her den then walked across the clearing the Song Stone.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet under Song Stone for a clan meeting."

Cats filed out of their den, even the two kits and Rabbitleap, who really shouldn't be out. They took their places around the stone, the two kits staying as far away from where their mother lay as possible. After Moondance had returned to camp and spoke to his kits, he dragged out his mate for the clan to mourn. They would probably mourn her after this ceremony.

"Cats of Nightclan, tonight our enemies in Moorclan attacked. I do not know what reason they would attack, but they weren't after our territory and were not trying to drive us out. They were trying to kill us," The leader mewed out. As she finished, a ripple of terror spread among her clan. Warriors never killed one another unless they had no other choice, but this clan wanted to kill them. "Yet, even after this attack, Nightclan stood strong. But, we did pay a price. A Moorclan cat attempted to kill our kits, and Sootflower lose her life protecting them." The two kits moved closer to each other at this comment, a knowing glow in the younger kits eyes. "Although I was not planning to make these two apprentices until half-moon, that will have to be moved up. Dusk-kit, Miragekit, come forth." The female leader jumped off the rocked, flinching when she hit the ground. The two kits came forward as well, their eyes flashing with concern as soon as they saw they her flinch. The leader stood right in front of them, and spoke.

"Dusk-kit from now on you will be known as Duskpaw. Rabbitleap, Badgerfur trained you. Please pass on all you learned from him to this apprentice," the dark ginger she-cat mewed, waiting for Rabbitleap to come forward and touch noses with his new apprentice. Duskpaw alternated between trying to seem solemn and bouncing with joy. Unlike Miragekit, she didn't punish herself over her feelings, but she was having trouble controlling them. Once they finished touching noses, the leader started to mew again. "But, do to your injuries; you cannot train her right away. Badgerfur will be her temporary mentor, until Rabbitleap is good enough to train her."

Now the leader turned to the other kit. "Miragekit, from this day forth, you will be known as Miragepaw. Your mentors will be Quietheart." The clan burst into surprised mews. The little she-cat had rarely spent any time in the medicine cat's den and it seemed to come out of nowhere. "Quiet! Young Miragepaw has been blessed by Starclan. She confessed that she had a dream, predicting most of the battle, including her mother's death. Now, allow me to continue the ceremony. Quietheart, your mentor was Shadowflower. Please pass on everything you learned from her onto your apprentice."

Quietheart moved forward to touch noses with his apprentice, but one look in her eyes told him this was not going to be a fun apprenticeship. She looked like she was going to claw his eyes out. Maybe he should have told her he was going to take her as his apprentice. They touched noses, those rather hastily, and backed apart. The leader spoke out again, getting ready for meeting to end.

"I would also like to increase our patrols. We will have three warriors and their apprentices on each patrol; though will her have to change the schedule to keep the warriors fresh. I will discuss this with Swiftstream and get back to you. Meeting dismissed," Bloodstar said, going back to her den. Quietheart looked down at his apprentice, who was giving him a nasty glare, and sighed. This was going to be a problem.

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**Review or Miragepaw gives you the glare from hell.**


	7. Complicated

**Updated again, within twenty four hours! Anyway, yes it sounds like Jayfeather, but it's very important to the plot. People, errr, cats tell medicine cats everything.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet under Song stone for a clan meeting!"

The call of the clan leader stopped Miragekit from asking more questions of her father. She needed to know. To know of her mother's murderer, to know how to beat her. Oh course her father wouldn't have that type of knowledge, but somewhere deep down she believed he was a great fighter. Even if he was coward and ran when he could, she was sure he had some amazing anti-Moorclan moves. That little thought kept her hopes up.

When the leader called, Miragekit saw her father try to pry himself up. Dusk-kit rested her tail on his head and shook her's back and forth. He was too injured to go to the meeting. Rabbitleap too, but they knew he wouldn't listen. Miragekit noted how gently her sister handled her father and sighed. She had the heart of a medicine cat, but not the mind. If only she had Miragekit's mind, which brimmed with the knowledge of herbs, they both could have been happy. But that's not what the world had planned for them.

The three cat, Miragekit Dusk-kit and Rabbitleap shuffled out of the medicine cat's den. Almost of the rest of the clan was out already out there and the two kits had to push themselves to the front of the crowd. Anywhere else was too close to their mother for comfort. Smelling the blood in her fur, seeing her mangled corpse, it was just too much for them. When they looked up at the leader, she was telling them how the clan that had attack them was planning to kill. Dusk-kit looked to her sister with a worried expression and Miragekit wrapped her tail around her. Without their mother around to protect them, Miragekit would have to be the mature one. She was the older of the two after all.

Other cats mewed among themselves, worried about how the other clans were breaking the warrior code. Warrior didn't kill other warriors unless they had too, but apparently this 'Heathersong' wasn't following this rule. Mirage kit felt her fluff up, but when her sister tensed, she calmed down. She had to be good for her sister.

"Yet, even after this attack, Nightclan stood strong. But, we did pay a price. A Moorclan cat attempted to kill our kits, and Sootflower lose her life protecting them." The leader continued. Miragekit pulled her sister closer, looking away. Ironically, if she had looked at Dusk-kit, she would notice something strange in her eyes. "Although I was not planning to make these two apprentices until half-moon that will have to be moved up. Dusk-kit, Miragekit, come forth."

The two kits pulled apart at this. Of course they knew this was coming, but they didn't think it would happen now. The very thing they had on their minds for the last two moons was completely forgotten. Dusk-kit moved forward quickly, her sorrow pushed out by excitement. Miragekit felt betrayal stab at her belly. How could her sister forget so easily? She'd get at her later. For now, she had to accept this blessing. It was as if her leader wanted her to get the training she needed for her revenge. Ah, she loved this clan. When they got to the leader, she continued with the ceremony.

"Dusk-kit from now on you will be known as Duskpaw. Rabbitleap, Badgerfur trained you. Please pass on all you learned from him to this apprentice." Miragekit sighed. Her sister had never been the most energetic cat, and now she had the most energetic cat in the clan as her mentor. Maybe the leader wanted Duskpaw to calm him down a bit, or maybe it was just because they had a shortage of cats. Whatever it was, it squished the last of the silver cat's hopes her sister would be the next medicine cat and stay out of danger. Well at least Badgerfur or Passionfire wasn't her mentor. Badgerfur was quite harsh, and Passionfire was Passionfire. That was an insult in its self. Then the leader decided to go on, and that made the silver cat's stomach plummet. "But, do to your injuries; you cannot train her right away. Badgerfur will be her temporary mentor, until Rabbitleap is good enough to train her." So much for that thought…

Next it was Miragekit's turn. She looked at her two hopeful mentors. Sunpelt and Bloodstar. She closed her eyes, hoping. Let it be Bloodstar, let it be Bloodstar. What amazing things she could learn for the leader! Leaders rarely took on apprentices, but when they did, the cat was always special. Yes, ti had to be Bloodstar. She would have the most amazing mentor.

"Miragekit, from this day forth, you will be known as Miragepaw. Your mentors will be Quietheart." In that moment, the world around her died. She couldn't hear their surprised mews, or even the leader's explanation. That tiny hope that was born in one second, something that would change her path, had died. She was going to be medicine cat. Yes, her perfect future involved a medicine cat, but her sister as one, not her. She wanted to be leader someday, not a stupid medicine cat. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how dependant she was on being right. Unexpected thing, they just made her angry. A flame of hate flared up in her chest, hate for the clan heritage. In Nightclan, you had no choice. If Starclan touched you, you had to be medicine cat. You couldn't refuse or change paths. Even if you fell in love, it would have to be kept secret. The little she-cat looked up at her mentor hatefully, and that's when the rest of the world came back. She walked forward and grudgingly touched noses with her mentor. Though it was short, it felt like too long for her. She hated this cat.

"I would also like to increase our patrols. We will have three warriors and their apprentices on each patrol; though we will have to change the schedule to keep the warriors fresh. I will discuss this with Swiftstream and get back to you. Meeting dismissed," Bloodstar finished, limping to her den. It was only then did the kit notice that her shoulder was injured. Now, for some reason, she couldn't hate the leader. She didn't have the heart to hate an injured cat. Btu she could still hate her mentor. And when she looked up at him, she knew he knew this too.

"You should go get your father now," Quietheart said with a sigh. "Even though he's injured, he'll want to hold a vigil for his mate. I'll make him a nest to lie in for the night." He went off to get something while she headed back to the den. Her father was staring sadly off into space, Duskpaw beside him again. Miragepaw felt a wave of pity in her heart. She mourned her mother greatly, but it was nothing on her father. To him, the world had just ended and nothing would ever be right again.

"It's time for mom's vigil," the tiny silver cat mewed, alerting her sister and father of her presence. They both got up and padded out of the den with her, then sat around the corpse. The medicine cat had already made the nest for her father out of moos and bird feather. It must have been because he was so delicate, that he couldn't lay on the ground. Miragepaw and Duskpaw settled down on either side of him and all three buried their noses in the fur of the gentle queen.

The three lay unmoving, except the gentle rise and fall of their breathing, until morning. Yet it was hard for the two kits to stay up, and they kept drifting off, yet they never truly fell asleep as they were plagued with night mares about their mother's death. Everytime she closed her eyes, Miragepaw saw blurry images of a large silver cat standing over her mother. With that showing up everytime she closed her eyes, it was understandable why she didn't fall asleep.

The three cats didn't think much that night, or really, day, and although they were aware of the other cats around them, they didn't care. Just the three of them knew the cruel sting of loss in their heart, fresh and new. All night, they lay there, feeling blank. Not even Miragepaw had the heart to do anything but wallow in her sorrow. But daylight doesn't last forever, and neither does sorrow. Before they knew it, the sun has risen and then set again. It was time to get up. The kits assisted their father back to his nest, and then when to their own. Quietheart let Miragepaw sleep in until almost moon high. But then it was time for training.

"Wake up, Miragepaw," her mentor said, prodding her. At first she simply rolled over, but eventually, she got up. Another glare was given to her mentor, and he backed up, but she did nothing else. "I know, normally I would start by teaching you the basic herbs, but since your sister has already seen the territory, I'll show you the place to find the herbs first."

"Fine," Miragepaw mewed out, following her mentor as he left the den. Once they left the camp, he increased his pace to try and get more stuff in, and Miragepaw was forced to follow. She found this slight jog annoying, since it tired her muscles even more than a full out sprint would and felt far too slow. When she tried to increase her pace, her mentor jarred his tail in front of her. They had to try and keep their paces matched. That flared up the old hatred from yesterday, and she slowed down to a walk. Taking that as a sign that he was going too fast for her and she was tired, her mentor slowed down as well. Miragepaw was about to say something rather rude when he spoke first.

"Here we are," The tom mewed out. "I wanted to show you this first. It's the farthest from the camp, but it comes with a nice story, and I was hoping the story would cheer you up." Miragepaw's ears flicked. A story was always nice. Then she flattened her ears. No, only kits got excited over story time, and she wasn't a kit anymore. Even with negative react, the medicine cat still went on to explain his story.

"A long time ago," he mewed, looking out at the strange structure in front of them. "Before even Sparrowsong was born, there were two old two-legs who lived here. The old male carried a strange device that made loud noises, back then the clan called it a Thunderstick, and it would shot out strange pebbles that could kill even the strongest warriors. But he was old, and he died, leaving his mate to herself. The clan had yet to see the old two-leg before her mate died, and they soon discovered why. She kept many cats in her den. At least twenty and they weren't like other kitty-pets. They went out of their den and hunted in the forest. Back then the clan was strong, but they couldn't drive out that many cats. Many battles were fought over this and many cats died. But, one day the old two-leg female and her cats left. Even their den fell apart, one day, but a good thing was left over."

The older medicine cat bound over to a strange plant Miragepaw had never seen before and pulled off some of the leaves. When she got closer, the silver apprentice could smell an amazing scent coming off of the plant. She wanted to go over and roll in it, but she found her mentor nudging her away. When they were a safe distance away, the big male set down his bundle of just as good smelling herbs and spoke.

"It's called Catmint. It's good for Greencough, the only real remedy. Catmint can only be found around two-legs and when they old female left, she left us this gift," Quietheart mewed, before picking up the herbs and going. The small cat flicked her ear, following after him.

"You're a really bad story teller," Miragepaw mewed as she caught up to him.

"Was it really that bad? I guess I have nothing on Sparrowsong then," the medicine cat mewed back, amusement. Miragepaw let out a little chuckle as well, but corrected herself quickly. She hated this cat. She hated him, didn't she? Well maybe he wasn't that bad. No, she couldn't that that. She had to hate this cat. He took away her choices.

"I know, you hate me for not asking. It's funny, because I promised I would never do that to any cat. Yet look at us now," her mentor mewed, shocking her. How did he know? "I know because my mentor did the same thing to me, and her mentor to her. I guess it's just a Nightclan thing. When I was about your age, I was scared a battle and always flinched away from it, but I still wanted to be a warrior and fall in love. I wanted the freedom of that life, but one day I had a dream, and I told the medicine cat at the time. Then, before I knew it, I was in front of the star stone, meeting our warrior ancestors."

Suddenly, Miragepaw felt bad, and angry at the same time. He had when through all that too, so she couldn't hate him. But at the same time she had to hate him for breaking his promise to himself. What kind of cat does that? She would never know. Perhaps, one day, she too would become exactly that, but for now she had the privilege to think this way.

"You can judge me if you like, but I can't change the past. You'll have to pay for my mistake, but please know I am sorry," he mewed, sprinting into a run. Miragepaw stopped on the thought, as all the thoughts in her head changed. Now she really couldn't hate him. Suddenly, the world got a lot more complicated…

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**Let me explain something, the old man on their territory was a hunter and his wife collected cats in place of kids. The man died and his wife ran out of food and wanted to get back to the city before she died, and took her cats with her. But she wouldn't uproot her garden, so the catmint stayed. They were living in the territory illegally. It's a preserved forest. Now review.**


	8. Crush

**Sorry if this chapter sucks. I'm sick, yet I will still write!**

**Disclaimer, I own nothing.**

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"Get up, get up!" growled out Badgerfur, prodding the newly made apprentice. Duskpaw groaned and rolled over, waving her paw to tell him to go away. She'd been up all day and just fell asleep, only to find her new, temporary mentor, decided not to give her a chance to sleep, Perhaps if she had been a older apprentice, this would be reasonable, but right now she was new to this life, and used to sleeping when she wished and not getting up until she felt like it. Instead of going away like she wished, he mentor cuffed her over the ear, hard.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up," the dark grey apprentice mewed, getting out of her nest. She stretched her exhausted body and looked up to where her mentor had been. Now the cat was all the way across the clearing, waiting for her, his tail wrapped around his paw and his glare intense. Duskpaw rushed over to him, not eager to have him taking her around the territory. It matched perfectly with her excitement for her first day as an apprentice and her deep sorrow for the loss of her mother.

"We're going hunting," her gruff mentor mewed out, turning and leaving the camp.

"But shouldn't you be showing me the territory?" the dark grey apprentice mewed, chasing after him. Sometimes she hated being an apprentice. His strides we so large, she had to jog to keep up, and then slow down, then speed up in an annoying eternal cycle. The big tom didn't even seem to care ads he raced along.

"I don't have time to waste with that. The clan needs food after that battle," Badgerfur said, increasing his pace to a full out run. Duskpaw tried to keep up, but ended up falling behind, having to just follow by his scent and the view of his tail. Eww. She could never unsee this.

Eventually, Badgerfur came screeching to a halt, surprising Duskpaw. Ah, he must want to wait for her to go ahead. Without thinking, the apprentice rushed on, only to have her temporary mentor grab onto her scruff as she passed. The dark grey she-cat didn't understand at first, but soon her paw fell out from under her, and she dangled in the air, held up only by her mentor. When she finally got the never to look down, her stomach dropped. Snake squirmed in the pit, looking up at her as she would a juicy meal. The tiny she-cat curled her legs and tail up to keep as far away from those creatures as possible. With a slight grunt her mentor hauled her back up, and she shuddered.

"You and Rabbitpaw, Rabbitleap, are too much alike. On his first day of training I showed him the territory and he almost went tumbling down into this pit," Badgerfur said, glaring at the little she-cat.

"Then why, why would you take me here?" the little she-cat asked. She felt her heart racing out of her chest. She knew he was tough on his apprentices, but never this tough. It was like torture.

"So you would learn. My very first apprentice, Finchpaw, was killed by the snakes in this pit, or at least their ancestors," the temporary mentor said, walking away from the pit like it was filled with bad memories, which it probably was. "She went down to get a mouse and was bitten. By the time I got her back to the camp, it was too late. After that, I noticed, the only way to keep nosy apprentices away from Snake pit is to scare them away."

"Fear isn't the answer for everything, Badgerfur," came the mew of another cat. If Duskpaw didn't recognize the voice, she would have thought it belonged to a tom. Eagleswoop had a very masculine voice, so much so that most cats didn't know she was female, if they weren't informed beforehand.

"But it is always best for teaching apprentices," the black and white tom replied.

"You never change. And you wonder why Bloodstar doesn't give you apprentices anymore, brother. But, then again, my training isn't much better," the big tabby said, surprising Duskpaw. She would never have pinned the two for siblings. Eagleswoop looked nothing like Badgerfur and vice-verse. Perhaps one took after the father and one the mother, or they could be half siblings. Still, they wouldn't lie about something like that, would they?

"Well, I have to train my apprentice for now. We're going hunting," Badgerfur said, cutting into the little she-cat's thoughts.

"Hunting with the little kit just fresh out of nursery? Really?" Eagleswoop mewed, a cocky look on her face. This wasn't going to be good.

"The clan need to be feed," Badgerfur growled out and the big she-cat came closer, resting her tail on his shoulder.

"And this little kit would just get in your way. So how about letting me and Midnightpaw take care of her while you go and feed the clan," Eagleswoop said, getting up and padding around the black and white tom. He looked worried for a minute, then let out a sigh.

"It is in everyone's best interest, but don't wear her out on her first day. We have battle training tomorrow," he mewed, padding through the bushes.

"And you'll find that she's amazing, once she trains with me!" Eagleswoop mewed after him before turning back to the apprentices. With a flick of her tail, she directed them left. Even when they were just walking, Duskpaw was surprised by how much more accommodating the big tabby was then Badgerfur. Funny how the one she was slightly scared of was the one that would be the better mentor, but that's life. It wasn't long before they arrived at a strange area. If what Duskpaw had heard from the apprentices was right, this was the Training Isle, a sandy piece of land with a strange moat around it that had always been used for training.

"Alright, we're here," Eagleswoop mewed, leaping over the little moat. Midnight paw followed her, easily clearing it. With the way they made it seem, Duskpaw was sure she could get over it easily, but it was nowhere near as easy as it seemed. When she leap, only her front end ended up on the isle, the rest dangling in the moat. True if she feel, she wouldn't be hurt, she's only drop half a mouse length, but she was still embarrassed. Firm jaws wrapped around her scruff for the second time that day, and she looked up, expecting the see Eagleswoop's piercing gaze look right through her. But that's not how things were.

"You need to eat more. I've caught prey heavier then you!" exclaimed Midnightpaw, placing Duskpaw on the ground in front of him. The little she-cat felt her face heat up. How embarrassing. But at least he was concerned about her health. Back when she was a tiny kit, she had a small crush on the older apprentice, but her sister had convinced her to get over it if she was ever to be a medicine cat. Or at least, pretend to. Although it had gotten weaker, the crush was still there. Just great…

"Now, now Midnightpaw," Eagleswoop mewed. "Can't you see you embarrassing the kit? Plus we need to start training. Though the clan does need food, more then anything, we need our apprentices strong and battle ready. But since your new, well start with the basic. Most of this is common sense, so I'm expecting an answer, kit." Duskpaw nodded and sat down listening. "When a cat attacks you from behind and jumps on you, what do you do?" The grey kit pondered for a second before answering.

"You roll over or slam your back into something as soon as you can, before they can get a killing bite in," she mewed out loudly. The big she-cat nodded and called Midnightpaw over.

"Midnightpaw and I will give you an example, he'll be the attack since I would crush him," Eagleswoop mewed, turning her back to her apprentice. Before Duskpaw knew it, Midnightpaw was on his mentors back, biting her neck lightly. The big she-cat reared back and fell on him, forcing all her weight down at once. The dark apprentice let out a gasp and Eagleswoop got off, her apprentice scrambling away. "Now you two try it. Midnightpaw will attack first. Get ready Duskpaw." Too late.

Before she knew it, Midnightpaw was on her back. It surprised her how fast he was. When she tried to push him off or roll over, she found she couldn't. He was too heavy and her muscles weren't ready. All that play fighting never did anything. Suddenly her strength failed her even more as all her blood rushed to her face. Midnightpaw, her long time crush, was on her back. Laying on her. Well if that wasn't suggestive, she didn't know what was.

"P-please get off," she mewed, nervous. Suddenly the weight let up and she rolled away. Midnightpaw was looking at her confused, unable to understand her sudden fear. Eagleswoop let you a sigh and got up.

"One more time, this time Duskpaw will attack," Eagleswoop said, curling her tail around her paw. Duskpaw nervously got up, and walked in circles around Midnightpaw. Once around, twice around, two and a half... At that Midnightpaw relaxed and Eagleswoop perked up, she saw what the little kit was doing. For what she lacked in the strength, she made up for in brains. Dashing, the she-cat launched herself onto the tom's back, sinking her teeth in to his scruff and surprising him. But that didn't last long. He reared up, and fell, just like his mentor, landing on the little apprentice. She tried to hold on, but the blood started to rush again, and she let go.

"Good, good. You used your brain brilliantly. But Midnightpaw, I've told you a million times. Never, ever, let your guard down," Eagleswoop mewed, chastising her apprentice. "Now, let's try something else. Pinning other cats down. Midnightpaw will be the attacker first. Duskpaw, do whatever you can to get him off." With that, the black furred tom took up, pinning Duskpaw. As she struggled to get up, all she could think was why did he keep ending up on top of her.

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**Review please? Also I need more elders and rogues. They'll be important soon.**


	9. Friendship

**I haven't got much to say about this one, except maybe that it kind of sucks.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Midnightpaw let out a little sigh. The new apprentice had already left the den when he woke up. He had hoped to talk to her before that brute, Badgerfur, got to her. The little she-cat was a very delicate thing that he knew. When they had been in the nursery together, she would give up with the simplest of blows and her older sister would stick up for her. A cat like Badgerfur would be the worst mentor possible for her. Yet it would toughen her. Still, he felt the need to warn her. Caring for weaker cats was part of the warrior code.

"Looking for the little kit?" a voice said from behind him. He turned to see his mentor, who was standing at the entrance of the den. For such a big cat, she was good at creeping up on others.

"I was just worried. You know how Badgerfur is with his apprentices," the black furred tom mewed, making sure not to say anything bad about the black and white tom. If he did, he was sure to get clawed. He was well aware the two were siblings and very close. Strange since they looked nothing alike, but sometimes that happened.

"I know you don't hold him in high regard, but please lay of my brother," the big she-cat said, her voice slightly sad. Funny how so many cats were scared of her, yet she acted this way. Or maybe it was just to him. "Then again, you have a point. That little she-cat might just die if she goes through his first day training. Let's go and interrupt them." That surprised him. He wasn't used to his mentor being so free about things. Looks like the stick up her butt finally came up.

"Do you know where they went?" Midnightpaw asked his mentor, confused. Knowing her, she'd make him track them down.

"Yes, but you're not getting off that easy," she mewed, and he knew what was coming. "You have to track them down yourself." Yes, she was sort of predictable, at least with her decisions. He figured that was why she could never be deputy. She would lead them around an old and well trodden path, until they hit a cliff.

Walking out of camp, he stuck his nose down to the scent trail. There they were, and it seemed they were heading to… Oh Starclan no! Snake Pi! Was he trying to kill his apprentice? Midnight paw raced along the trail, trying to think of why Badgerfur would do this. Somewhere far back he remember talking to Rabbitleap, Rabbitpaw at the time, about mentors and the older apprentice had mentioned how his mentor daggled him over Snake Pit to 'teach him to stay away from it'. But with such a delicate cat, like Duskpaw, she just might have a heart attack and die.

The black furred tom rose his head from the scent trial and barreled down the path, trying to get to the little she-cat and her mentor before they reached the pit. Too bad they already had. When he arrived, he saw Badgerfur dangling the dark grey cat over Snake Pit. Midnightpaw felt ready to burst with rage and was about to say something, when his mentor shoved her tail into his mouth, successfully gagging him.

"Fear isn't the answer for everything, Badgerfur," mewed Eagleswoop, stepping in front of her apprentice. Duskpaw and Badgerfur whirled around to look at her, barely even noticing him.

"But it is always best for teaching apprentices," the black and white tom replied. Midnightpaw fluffed up again, but his mentor stood in front of him, preventing the others from seeing.

"You never change. And you wonder why Bloodstar doesn't give you apprentices anymore, brother. But, then again, my training isn't much better," the big tabby mewed, surprising the little apprentice. Ah, she probably didn't know they were related. It wasn't a well known fact. In fact, Midnightpaw only knew because he was Eagleswoop's apprentice and the siblings often times hunted together.

"Well, I have to train my apprentice for now. We're going hunting," Badgerfur said. That was a surprise. The she-cat was far too new to be hunting; she'd probably just be in way. And by the look of Eagleswoop's face, she was thinking that too.

"Hunting with the little kit just fresh out of nursery? Really?" the big tabby mewed, a cocky expression her face. The black furred apprentice muffled a groan. When she looked like that, nothing could stop her.

"The clan need to be feed," Badgerfur growled out and the big she-cat came closer, resting her tail on his shoulder.

"And this little kit would just get in your way. So how about letting me and Midnightpaw take care of her while you go and feed the clan," Eagleswoop said, getting up and padding around the black and white tom. He looked worried for a minute, then let out a sigh.

"It is in everyone's best interest, but don't wear her out on her first day. We have battle training tomorrow," he mewed, padding through the bushes. Victory was theirs.

"And you'll find that she's amazing, once she trains with me!" Eagleswoop mewed after him before turning back to the apprentices. With a flick of her tail, she took off towards the Sandy Isle. They two older cats kept their pace quite slow for the younger cat, so it took them a while to get to the Sandy Isle.

"Alright, we're here," Eagleswoop mewed, leaping over the little moat. Midnightpaw followed her, easily clearing it. Midnightpaw was sure that the little she-cat behind him would clear it and was surprised to see she was having trouble. When she leap, only her front end ended up on the isle, the rest dangling in the moat. Midnightpaw walked over to her and pulled her up, only to see her embarrassed eyes.

"You need to eat more. I've caught prey heavier then you!" exclaimed Midnightpaw, unable to hold it back. She was a tiny cat, except for the long legs she had. Nobody knew where she got that from, but it made her different from the other cats.

"Now, now Midnightpaw," Eagleswoop mewed. "Can't you see you embarrassing the kit? Plus we need to start training. Though the clan does need food, more then anything, we need our apprentices strong and battle ready. But since your new, well start with the basic. Most of this is common sense, so I'm expecting an answer, kit." Duskpaw nodded and sat down listening. "When a cat attacks you from behind and jumps on you, what do you do?" The grey kit seemed to be thinking up something, but Midnightpaw felt the words on his lips. He knew this answer, since his mentor drilled him on it all the time.

"You roll over or slam your back into something as soon as you can, before they can get a killing bite in," she mewed out loudly. The big she-cat nodded and called Midnightpaw over.

"Midnightpaw and I will give you an example, he'll be the attack since I would crush him," Eagleswoop mewed, turning her back to her apprentice. Before anyone knew it, Midnightpaw was on his mentors back, biting her neck lightly. Even if he wasn't as strong as her, he was fast, at least in short bursts. The big she-cat reared back and fell on him, forcing all her weight down at once. The dark apprentice let out a gasp, for she was far too heavy, and Eagleswoop got off, her apprentice scrambling away. "Now you two try it. Midnightpaw will attack first. Get ready Duskpaw." Even at that, it was too late.

Midnightpaw hurled himself at her, and bit lightly into her neck, as he did with his mentor. Yet things were different this time. The little she-cat's legs went out from under her and she fell on the ground. He let up a bit and she cried for him to get off, and he did. He hadn't realized how this had scared her, or why she was so weak, but he guessed things just happened.

"One more time, this time Duskpaw will attack," Eagleswoop said, curling her tail around her paw. Duskpaw nervously got up, and walked in circles around Midnightpaw. Once around, twice around, two and a half... She probably wouldn't attack for a few more turns, with how nervous she was, and so Midnightpaw relaxed. The just then, she lept at him, digging her teeth into his neck. For a minute he was too surprised to do anything, but then reared backed and landed on her. She let out a huff and he got off.

"Good, good. You used your brain brilliantly. But Midnightpaw, I've told you a million times. Never, ever, let your guard down," Eagleswoop mewed, chastising her apprentice. Midnightpaw flattened his ear, upset. He'd been out smarted by a kit. And to think he was worried about her. She'd grown strong in the time they were apart. "Now, let's try something else. Pinning other cats down. Midnightpaw will be the attacker first. Duskpaw, do whatever you can to get him off."

Midnightpaw ran at her again, and pinned her to ground. Once again, he found himself staring at those embarrassed eyes and felt bad for a second. But only for a second, but she used the secret move that all she-cats had against toms. Oh why did Eagleswoop say anything goes?

"Pervert!" she yelled and he tensed up. In that moment, she used her hind paws and threw the off. He hit the ground a little while from her and she sat up, an amused look on her face. "I win."

"That's cheating!" Midnightpaw yowled at her, his fur bristling.

"No it's not," Eagleswoop mewed. "A cat's greatest weapon in their mind, and by using her mind, Duskpaw tricked you into losing your grip. I said anything goes, right?" The big she-cat flicked her tail with amusement when Midnightpaw let out a huff. "Why don't you try it again? Don't fall for it this time."

Midnightpaw lept at her again, landing on her without a struggle. The tiny she-cat struggled a bit before looking him in the eye. It seemed the was trying to use guilt but that wasn't working. He lowered his face to bit at her throat to 'win the fight' when she surprised him. She licked the side of his face and suddenly all the blood rushed to it. He barely felt her paw dig into her stomach before he went flying across the Isle.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I didn't think it would work," Duskpaw said, rushing over to him. He closed his eyes sadly and waited for her to get real close, when she was close enough to nudge him, he lept onto her, pinning her down. Quickly, he buried his face into her neck and 'won the fight'.

"Good, both of you. But since this is Duskpaw's first day, we should move on to even more basic moves," Eagleswoop mewed. Wrapping her tail around her paws, a bored expression on his face. Yes, this session was going to be a long one.

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"I think that's enough for today," Eagleswoop mewed, looking at the two apprentices. Midnightpaw felt like his paws were about to fall off and Duskpaw was swaying with exhaustion. They'd been working for hours, and now Midnightpaw could see the beginning of the sunrise through the trees. Without another word, Eagleswoop took up, heading back to camp. Midnightpaw and Duskpaw followed behind her, far more slowly.

"Do you have to train like that everyday?" Duskpaw asked, panting. Her paw steps were even slower than his, and so he slowed down again.

"It's even worse most day," he lied. "I have to fight Eagleswoop. I've beat her once or twice." As any apprentice did, he felt the need to lie about how strong he was, and from the looks she was giving him, he was sure she believed him.

"Wow it must be tough. I hope I'm as strong as you someday," Duskpaw mewed, her eyes closed happily. Ah how naïve she was. Somehow, this felt like a great friendship.

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**Please review. No flames please.**


	10. Starclan

**Even longer then the others! Anyway, i'm really fond of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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"Miragepaw, could you go out and get some more borage? We need marigold too," mewed Quietheart, waking his sleeping apprentice. The tiny silver cat let out a groan and forced herself out of her nest. She still held quite a bit of a grudge against her mentor, but today was special. She wouldn't complain or whine, or even snap at him today. He might not take her with him if she did. Even though she liked caring for her father and Rabbitleap, the little cat wanted to go with her mentor.

She'd been training for a quarter moons now and tonight was half-moon, when ever medicine cat went to the Star Stone, on the boarder of Moorclan and Treeclan. Even though the little she-cat didn't want to be a medicine cat, she still wanted to meet Starclan. Maybe they would tell her she wasn't allowed to be a medicine cat and Bloodstar could be her mentor and then she would be leader. The little dream of her's was still there, desperately clinging to this last bit of hope.

"Miragepaw, make sure to hurry with those, we're almost out of marigold," Quietheart said, bending down and chewing up the last of the marigold. Miragepaw stretched her legs and held back a rather rude insult. She needed to learn to stop dragging his mother into these things. Once she was finished brooding, she left the den and went to find the marigold. It was relaxing for her to be all alone. Once she left the camp, she took a little break, trying to remember which patch of marigold and borage to take from. Greenleaf had been good to them this year and there was a lot of growth, but part of her duties was taking herbs responsibly.

A faint memory of her mentor telling her that there was borage near the badger hole, but she immediately dropped that idea. Nobody knew if the badger was coming back or not. One minute you might think the scent is stale, the next minute you're chatting it up with your warrior ancestors. Joining Starclan didn't sound bad, but she wanted to do something with her life before she died. Looking through her memory once more, she remembered that both borage and marigold grew near Snake pit. That was a dangerous area too, but nowhere near as dangerous as the old badger's den. The little she-cat made her way to the area quite quickly grabbed some of each and went make to the camp. If she was behind schedule today, her mentor might not take her.

"Stop trying to suck up to me, Miragepaw," her mentor said when she got back. "I have to take you unless something happens at camp." Well that surprised her. She was thinking it would be something like a gathering and you only went if you were good, unless you were the medicine cat. If you were the full medicine cat, you had to go no matter what. The little she-cat's expression told her mentor all he needed to know, and he chuckled.

"I could delay you coming for the first time for a few moons, but I'm not going to," he mewed calmly, taking the herbs she gave him and putting them with the older ones. He really needed to sort out the herbs better. He seemed to think keeping them in this giant pile would work, but really, it confused her with which herb was which. And what if they asked another cat to grab a certain herb for them, it could be a disaster. Why had Starclan given her such a useless mentor?

"Why? I've done nothing but insult you this whole time," the tiny cat mewed, looking at the giant pile of herbs. Her mentor noticed this and decided to make a rude comment of his own.

"Insulted me, when?" he joked, meaning to point out how much she insulted him, but his apprentice went right over the note of sarcasm and listed out the insults.

"In the time since you started mentoring me, I've told you, you smell, at least three times, that a dog could sort herbs better then you, and that badgers are quieter then you. Oh and that your mother is a-" she mewed out, getting cut off by him.

"I was being sarcastic!" he snapped before calming down. "Anyway, I'm taking you, not because I want to, but because with that attack a quarter moon ago, we need all the signs from Starclan we can get. You have strong connection with them; why else would they show you that battle?" Instantly the little she-cat felt guilty. She knew cats hated that she didn't tell anyone and caused her mother to die. Of only she'd been braver. Maybe she could have changed things…

"We'll be leaving in a bit, so stay around the den. You can have the day off," her mentor mewed, sending her out of den. She huffed a little. Miragepaw knew she could be useful if people just gave her a chance. She changed her father's bandaging everyday and sometimes even looked after Rabbitleap. Then again, her mentor said her that she needed to learn to limit the about of marigold she used, and that she needed to chew it better, but she was learning. If he just taught her the right amounts, she would be much more helpful.

The little she-cat lounged around for a few hours, visiting the elders and looking at the warriors. The little she-cat quickly made a note that Sunpelt seemed to have gained weight. With what she had brought into camp earlier, she quickly figured out the cause. Borage had multiple uses, but the most important was to help queens produce milk. Of course she wouldn't need it for a while, but when she did, they would have it. Besides that though, she found nothing important. The elders only retold the story of Vemonsong, but promised a better story soon. Without any other apprentices to play with, they were all training, and the elders too grumpy to tell a good story, the she-cat simply took a nap out in the clearing.

"I see you're getting under foot, " an affectionate voice said, nudging her. For a minute she thought it was her father and she snapped her eyes open eagerly. Was he good enough to go back to warrior duties? When the she-cat looked up, she was in for a big disappointment. Her mentor stood over her, his eyes calm. "Come on, it's time to go. It's almost sun high."

"What, I couldn't have slept that long!" she mewed out, jumping to her paws. Ye the sky agreed with him. Funny thing was she didn't even remember dreaming.

"Well, at least you're rested for the journey, though I would think you should have woken up earlier. I don't want you being grumpy when you meet the other medicine cats," the tom mewed up, turning and walking out of camp. Miragepaw followed him groggily. They took a route she'd never been down before, but she could guess where it was going. And, she was absolutely correct. After awhile of silent traveling, she saw the most famous land mark of all the clans, the Meeting Stump.

The Meeting Stump was an old tree that had been cut down my two-legs long ago. The base was wide enough for the four leaders to all sit on, and the deputies sat near them, but not quite on the roots. The stump was on an elevated hill so they could see every cat in the surrounding area. When she walked past the little hill, she smelled the scent of all four clans. Though the smell of Rainclan was quite nasty, she didn't mind Treeclan, and she already knew Moorclan scent pretty well. Even though she knew what it really smelled like, she couldn't help but smell blood of her mother. Attempting not to get defensive, she walked faster, out pacing her mentor. The little tom understood and sped up as well.

It wasn't long before they got on to Treeclan territory, and the little she-cat let out a sigh of relief. While Moorclan smelled like blood and Rainclan like fish, Treeclan smelled like moss of trees. Of course, her pride as a Nightclan cat would never let her say that to one of them. Her clan were strong and proud, though a little arrogant, and they were famous for their sharp insults. As she went through the territory, she smelled the scent of Treeclan stronger.

"Ah, good morning!" came the voice of an unfamiliar cat. Three cats, a pale tabby she-cat, a long furred brown she-cat and a thin golden tabby tom, came running towards them. They looked happily at Quietheart before stopping suddenly and staring at Miragepaw.

"Oh, well this is a predicament…" the tom mewed, looking at her. As he said that, another cat ran across the border, a tired look on her face.

"Sorry… I'm … late, Dreamclaw," mewed a white she-cat with ginger spot, panting. She looked pretty tiny. Perhaps this was her first time going to the Shining Stone. Quietheart gave her a worried expression, thinking.

"I've never heard of two new apprentices getting their ceremonies at once…" the brown she-cat said, a little bit of amusement on her face since she was an outside in this case. "But, I guess you will deal with this as it comes. By the way, I'm Dustcloud, the medicine cat of Rainclan." As if she broke the ice, all the cats began introducing themselves.

"I'm Quietheart of Nightclan," the black furred tom said, looking at the white and ginger she-cat.

"I'm Dreamclaw of Moorclan," the other tom, the golden tabby, mewed, looking at Miragepaw. The little she-cat tensed slightly, but calmed down. He was a medicine cat, and couldn't be blamed for that evil Heathersong.

"And I'm Larkwing of Treeclan, named after the bird, not the leader," the pale tabby mewed, looking at both apprentices. The poor cat was named so close to the evil Larkstar, former leader of Rainclan.

"I-I'm Softpaw," the white and ginger she-cat mewed, looking down. It must have been nerve racking for her. Not only was this her first medicine cat meeting, she was late. Miragepaw felt sorry for her, and at the same time didn't. She smelled of the bloody Moorclan, so she could never really be sorry for her. But she wanted this cat to like her too. Ah, she could impress her by sounding strong when she introduced herself.

"And I'm Miragepaw," she said, a little too loudly. When she said that, Quietheart flattened his ear. The little she-cat felt blood rush to her face and looked down. She would never be sure which one, but one of the cats let out a little chuckle.

"Come on," Dustcloud said, her tail curled up with amusement. "You five may not want to speak to Starclan, but I do." With that she dashed off. The other five cats followed behind her, chatting along the way. Miragepaw picked up stuff about herbs and other things, but didn't want to get involved in their conversation. Grown up cats never liked to talk to little cats like her. But maybe she could talk to the other apprentice.

"So… how long have you wanted to be a medicine cat?" she asked, feeling out of place. How could a cat want this fate that she needed to shed? The other cat seemed surprised, but answered in a honey sweet voice, her eyes full of dreams.

"Ever since I was young. One of my brothers had an acute case of whitecough and Dreamclaw came and treated him. He looked so happy and kind that I decided to be just like him. And you?" the she-cat asked, not realizing how tender it was to Miragepaw.

"Well, a quarter moon ago, when I began training, Moorclan attacked. My mother was killed and my father was injured. I started to treat him, and it felt great," the silver she-cat mewed, only half lying. She did like mixing the herbs, and learning them. But it wasn't her wish to be in that den. She wanted to be a leader, a cat remembered for generations, yet she could never be.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know about the attack until it happened. I was still in the nursery at that point. Anyway, we only attacked for revenge," Softpaw mewed, her eyes flashing with regret and sadness.

"Revenge?" Miragepaw asked, surprised. They'd never do anything wrong, had they?

"Yeah. One of our apprentices, Fernpaw, was killed and covered with Nightclan scent. Didn't you guys attack her?" Softpaw asked, her voice both inquisitive and suspicious.

"No, we didn't even know this happened. Maybe a rogue killed her?" Miragepaw asked, feeling a sudden understanding. They wanted revenge for an innocent clan mate, so they killed on of theirs? It was harsh, yet it made some sense. Yet, hatred flared up still, even more so since her mother had been killed for the folly of a random cat.

"No, it was Nightclan scent. Maybe a warrior killed her and didn't tell your clan…" the white and ginger she-cat mewed.

"I hope not, but it's possible. Or maybe a rogue rubbed the body on the scent markers. But, whichever, I don't want to talk about it. Maybe we could talk about herbs instead. Does your clan have any catmint?" Miragepaw asked, changing the subject.

"No, we always borrow some from your clan. You know, medicine cats trade herbs, even if the leaders don't like it. We are outside the normal rivalries," Softpaw mewed, backing the older apprentice feel like a kit. She knew that second pat, but still, the first one was a surprise.

"Oh, we have plenty this year. I'll make sure to get you some," Miragepaw mewed, making the other cat purr. For the rest of trip, they chatted like this, a weak friendship growing. It was lucky they were medicine cats or they might be in trouble here. Once they arrived at the Bright Clearing, the area around the Star Stone, they were shushed by the other medicine cats. Miragepaw looked down blushing and Softpaw flattened her ears in shame. The six cats grew near the stone and the two mentors came forward.

"Softpaw, is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Dreamclaw mewed, looking at his apprentice.

"It is," the little she-cat said, her eyes blazing with confidence. Miragepaw could hardly believe this was the same cat that stuttered in her introduction. It made her feel so weak, not meant for this path, though she always felt this way. Ah, she had real confidence issues today.

"Miragepaw, is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Quietheart mewed, his eyes staring right into Miragepaw's eyes. She had no choice. If she refused, she would shame the clan. She had to do this, for her clan that she both adored and hated. Things get even worse, apparently. She had to lie to Starclan.

"It is," Miragepaw said, quietly. Her mentor nodded and looked away. Maybe he was remembering this time in his life too.

"Then come forward," both mentors said at once and the apprentices moved. The mentor nodded and looked up. "Warriors of StarClan, we present to you these apprentices. They have chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant them your wisdom and insight so that they may understand your ways and heal their Clans in accordance with your will."

With that, the two mentors laid down and pressed their noses to the stone. Their apprentices copied them and the other medicine cats followed. Miragepaw noted how cold the stone was, but she only noticed for a second. The world was vanishing, and she was falling into sleep. Yet as soon as she fell asleep, she woke up. The world was a forest, the sky filled with beautiful stars, the forest around her sweet smelling, but that wasn't the best of it. Someone waited for her.

"My dear Miragepaw, I'm so proud of you," Sootfur mewed, coming over and licking her daughters head.

"Mother!" she mewed and nuzzled into her mother's fur like a tiny kit. All her hatred for this job, her fears, they vanished. She was so happy, she could burst. What was gone had returned, and now she was complete.

"I'm so proud of you. My daughter, the medicine cat. Yet, I'm sad too. You did not want this path. But it is your destiny. Yet don't grieve, for only when you're on this path can you and I meet," the gentle queen mewed. Her kit nuzzled more into her fur, her heart filled with bliss. As a medicine cat, she could be with her mother. Maybe that was worth the sacrifice. And maybe Duskpaw could be leader. Yes, that would work too. Her sister the leader. Oh, Sootfur would be so proud.

"But, my dear daughter time is almost up. I will leave you with a message," Sootfur mewed, pulling back from her daughter as the world began to fade. The little she-cat wanted to cry out, but she made no sound. "Remember, names are important!"

With that she awoke. Her body was full of energy and she felt the others waking up. She wanted the chatter to them about all she saw, yet she knew it was forbidden. Nobody even needed to tell her that. She just knew from the moment she was awakened. Haha, she wouldn't be the fool this time. The other got up around her and began leaving. Miragepaw trailed at the back of group, with a moony eyed Softpaw.

"So, was Starclan all you thought it would be?" Miragepaw asked with a laugh. Of course, she knew she probably looked the same way.

"Oh yes. It was amazing. I'd tell you what I saw, but I heard that medicine cats can't do that," Softpaw mewed, closing her yes and letting out a happy sigh. "I can't wait for the next half-moon, though. Even if they don't tell me anything at all, just being around them, being there, it's, it's…"

"Like being a tiny kit again, being protected by your mother, but with a mystic vibe?" Miragepaw asked.

"Exactly. But we shouldn't be discussing that. We might let out too much and Starclan will get upset at us. Why don't we discuss herbs?" the white and ginger apprentice asked.

"Ah, do you know what herbs are good for a queen? You just got a new one in camp," the light silver cat asked.

"No, sorry, I'm not that far in my training. But I did hear which herb not to give them. Even if they are in pain, never, never give then tansy. It causes miscarriages," the younger apprentice mewed.

"Oh, I would never have known that, thanks," Miragepaw mewed. Funny, this cat may be in the same clan as the awful Heathersong, but she was pretty nice. Maybe clans didn't mean everything. Or maybe she had some Nightclan blood in her. Funny, how it was the blood she hated most that was in Softpaw's veins. Ah, that could spoil their friendship…

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**Please review.**


	11. Addiction

**Finally, a chapter without Passionfire bashing. Anyway, Rosepaw is a freak. I'm serious. She's crazy. I'm warning you this chapter is a little creepy. Don't read it if you're gonna complain.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Rosepaw stretched and hauled herself out of her nest, eyes glazed over. Who was she? Was she Rosethorn, warrior of Treeclan, Thornclaw, warrior of Moorclan, or maybe plain little Rosepaw? That's right; she was Rosepaw, the plain one. Even if she wasn't ugly, she wasn't pretty. Even if she was not small, she wasn't big either. She was so average. All she had to go by was a pretty name. She wasn't fast, she wasn't strong, and she smart. But these thoughts only lasted for a minute. She did not remember how she questioned her identity. She would not have thoughts about who she once was. After all, only in dreams did she truly remember.

Stretching she looked up to the sky, her gaze focusing. Ah, it was only sunset. The clan would be up soon, but most cats were asleep at this. Rosepaw always liked getting up before most cats; it gave her time to get her shields up. Rosepaw wasn't the happy cat everyone thought she was. She was sad, sad that she would never leave a mark behind. She'd be forgotten once she was dead. But, if she acted depressed, nothing would get done and they would forget her before she died. So, she was the happy and cheerful apprentice everyone knew.

"You're up early again, aren't you?" came a familiar voice. Her heart skipped a beat and she spun around. The little she-cat stared at her favorite cat. Passionfire stood in front of her, his eyes kind. Even if she was plain and ordinary, he always called her pretty, strong and smart. Despite her despair for the outside world, she came to adore this little ray of light that he showed.

"I always want to get up early and be ready for my training. Do you think Swiftstream will let you, me and Patchpaw all train together today?" the little brown cat mewed, looking at the warrior with adoration.

"I don't think so. Swiftstream doesn't like it when I'm anywhere near you. In fact, she doesn't like it when I'm near Patchpaw," the big tom joked, looking at the apprentice's den. Rosepaw felt a stab of hatred. Her mentor was always interfering. Despite how clear it was that she adored this tom, her mentor made sure to keep them apart.

"Oh, well, I hope we can hunt together when I'm a warrior," the little she-cat said the sugar sweet voice and stared at the male. He nodded and turned around, and she let her shield down for a second. Her face twisted into a disgusted expression and she felt like spitting on the ground. Her mentor. The stupid she-cat had to die. Yet, she couldn't kill her. If she died, Badgerfur might become deputy and put such stress on her beloved Passionfire, due to the fact he kept flirting with Sunpelt. Yes, her mentor was the safest deputy, at least until her dear Passionfire was ready.

"Are you okay?" came a voice from behind her, and she turned to see her brother. "You look like you just swallowed crowfood." Darn, she still had that expression on her face. But she could easily get out of this. Ever she-cat worth her fur knew how to lie to a tom.

"I just had a bad dream where all the fresh-kill in the clan had turned to crowfood when I bit into it," she explained, her expression changing back to a happy one. Her brother seemed to believe this and rubbed against her pelt before following his mentors scent trail. She could claw him for not realizing how lucky he was. At least he could be will the hansom black tom during training. She never could and it wasn't far. But she wouldn't claw him for something he couldn't help. Or at least not yet. That would just be stupid. She'd wait until training or a play fight and 'mess up'.

The young she-cat waited in the clearing for a little while longer. Cats were stirring and she knew soon her mentor would be up. Rosepaw closed her eyes and let a little breathe in and out. She had to remain calm and talk to her mentor like she didn't want to tear open the she-cat's innards and present them to Passionfire as proof of her love. Her calm breathing paid off and when Swiftstream showed up, she managed to continue to appear happy.

"Are we going to be hunting or fighting today?" Rosepaw asked, jumping up in false excitement. It was annoying, but she'd heard immature apprentices did this, and that was how she wanted to appear.

"Today we're going the Sundown patrol with Passionfire, Patchpaw and Sunpelt," the slim silver cat mewed, spitting out the handsome black cat's name like it was venom. One part of Rosepaw wanted to jump for joy, while the other wanted to leap at her mentor and claw her ears off for insulting her love, but she resisted both. At least it meant less competition for her. Having to compete with her brother was bad enough, but Swiftstream was much pretty then her and could win his heart faster than silly Patchpaw or plain Rosepaw.

"Really?" the little she-cat mewed, looking at her mentor with wide eyes.

"Really. Now go meet them at the entrance of the camp. They should be waiting for us, or may Starclan take pity on them…" the deputy said, trailing off. Rosepaw rushed to the entrance, noticing her mentor wasn't following. She was probably going to check on Bloodstar. Although the she-cat was a great leader who fought through pain, she still had an injured shoulder from the battle with Moorclan. Swiftstream liked to make sure she was alright every day before she went to train Rosepaw. The little she-cat found that annoying, but the deputy out ranked her by a lot so she couldn't complain.

The brown apprentice arrived in front of the three mentioned cats and let out a loud fur. She had nothing against Sunpelt and even if she did envy her brother, she had him wrapped around her paw. Then there was the handsome and kind Passionfire. Yes, she would like this patrol, if Passionfire and Swiftstream didn't get into another fight.

"Alright, I'm here, we can go," the silver deputy mewed, padding over to the four cats and rushing out of the camp. The four cats followed behind her and padded through the forest silently. They were Nightclan, and so, if there were cats on their side of the boarder they would be attacked without a second thought or even a warning. For them, being quiet on a patrol was mandatory. Yet, they still had ways on silent communication.

Passionfire and Patchpaw kept exchanging meaningful glances which were counter by Swiftstream and Passionfire's upset glazes. Apparently something was going on between the mentor and apprentice that Rosepaw didn't know about and the deputy didn't approve. For once, the brown apprentice supported her mentor's side and gave her brother nasty looks from behind. He didn't notice these of course, but Sunpelt did. The eldest she-cat let out a silent sigh and tapped Rosepaw on the head with her tail. Sunpelt pushed her way between the other cats, ending their 'conversation' and giving them a look that made Rosepaw feel like a kit. With frustrate, she held back an evil look and continued on with the patrol.

The rest of patrol had much more civil communication, like inquiring gazes about training and a certain tail swish which asked how the other cat was doing. Passionfire and Swiftstream marked the boarder and continued with the patrol. The boarder with Moorclan was all clear, but they got quite a surprise at Rainclan. Two little voice sounded, as two young cats played the 'boarder crossing game'. Every young cat had done it at least once and it gave a massive adrenaline rush, but what was about to happen was exactly what nobody wanted to happen.

"Come on Cloudpaw, cross it just once. It's fun and it gives you a rush," a young tom with pale tabby fur mewed, hoping back onto his side of the boarder. Among the Nightclan cats, there was a sudden stir. If only the male crossed the boarder, only he could be punished, and since the female agreed to this, she was just as bad without crossing the boarder.

"But, what if a patrol comes by? I've heard that Nightclan skins any little apprentice who crosses the boarder…" the pale grey she-cat, Cloudpaw, mewed, looking down.

"Oh come on, nobodies around, and if they show up, I'll claw them," the other cat mewed, stepping over the boarder again.

"Okay, Breezepaw, but if we get caught it's your fault…" the she-cat mewed, walking over the boarder. The Nightclan cats started to creep over, but just as they were about the leap at them, the tom said something he shouldn't have.

"See? No stupid Weakclan cats came to attack us," he mewed with a chuckle, and the Nightclanners had an idea all at once. It was such a simple idea, that they all knew what to do. They weren't just going to chase these apprentices out; they were going to embarrass them.

"Yep, no Weakclan cats," Patchpaw mewed coming out of the bush, his tail curled up in amusement. The two cats jumped and turned to his, their claws out and teeth bared. They thought they could beat one apprentice.

"Just a couple of trespassing apprentices," Rosepaw mewed, coming out after hem. Her tome was sweet, but her eyes showed her dark intentions. The two cats falter for a moment before returning to their stances. One apprentice was easy, but they could still beat two.

"Stupid ones too, they didn't even think that they couldn't scent us over the scent markers," Passionfire mewed, standing behind his clan mates, his tail winding around Patchpaw. Frustrated, Rosepaw moved herself closer to her brother and brushed up against it. The two apprentices looked at the warrior scared and tried to back away, only to find Swiftstream and Sunpelt behind them. The female let out a squeak, but the male crouched down and growled at them.

"Calm down kit," Sunpelt said. "We won't kill you, but we are taking you back to your camp to face judgment from them. We would have just chased you out if you held your tongue." Her normally mother voice sound cruel, as all of their voices did. They were Nightclan, they had a reputation to keep up.

The two cats pressed up against each other on the way to their camp. Since they had lived in this forest so long, every clan knew where every camp was so there was no point in hiding it. The journey was quite swift, thought they had to stop outside the camp. Swiftstream let out a loud cry, alerting the camp of their arrival. Many warriors rushed out of their dens to prepare for a camp, only to find the cats around a couple of their apprentices.

"Hello," Swiftstream said in cocky and cruel voice. A pale ginger she-cat with deep brown eyes trotted out of the camp meeting the young deputy's eyes. Strange, this new cat exuded the power of a leader yet she looked very young. She must have just gotten her nine lives.

"Oi! What are you doing outside our camp with our apprentices?" the ginger she-cat mewed, her ears flat.

"We're just returning them. They were playing with the boarder so I thought they should come back to their clan to get punished for it," the silver deputy mewed.

"I thought the clans agreed when they caught apprentices playing with the boarders, they would just chase them out," the leader asked her eyes narrowed.

"Well they also insulted our clan, and you know how much we like they. You're lucky they didn't get clawed at all." With that the silver she-cat turned and left, her patrol following. In the faint distance, they could hear the cats getting yelled at in camp.

"How did you know it would end up like that?" Patchpaw asked. He kept looking back at the camp with fear. It was clear he was once guilty of the same crime.

"Sandstar is an honorable cat. I didn't know her as a leader, but as a warrior, she understood many things. She will teach them not to insult other clans," the deputy mewed. "Anyway, you apprentices handled the situation well. Back when I was your age, I might have messed up the situation. Btu you stayed calm and worked as well as any of the warriors." The compliment felt nice to Rosepaw, but it didn't quite warm her like Passionfire's.

"Yeah, that's right. You two did great. Especially you," Passionfire said, and Rosepaw prepared for her name to be said. "Patchpaw." The big tom warmly pressed up against his apprentice. Rosepaw felt her heart skip a beat. Oh bitter fate, oh cursed Starclan. She would get him to see her and only her, if that was the last thing she did.

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**If you still don't get the title, it's that she's addiction to his compliments. Anyway review. PM if you want more details. And I still need rogues and elders.**


	12. Gathering

**This chapter isn't the best, but I like the ending.**

**Disclamier: I own very little.**

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The light of the full moon shone outside Bloodstar's den. Ah, it was the night of the gathering already. Lucky for her that she had already decided which cats she would take. Her loyal deputy of course had to go, and even if she didn't, Bloodstar would always pick her. Call it favoritism if you like, but she had her reasons. Secret reasons, buried deep, deep into the clan's heritage.

The other cats she would call for were Quietheart, Sunpelt, Miragepaw and Rabbitleap if he was healed enough. If he wasn't, she would bring Midnightpaw instead. The dark ginger leader didn't like bringing apprentices without their mentors, but if she only brought four cats with her, the other clan might think she was weak. That was something she wouldn't stand for.

Walking out into the clearing she thought over what she was going to say at the gathering. It was the perfect time to expose Moorclan's crime and get some answers. Why would they attack to kill? The only good answer was that one of their clan mates was killed by one of her's, but she knew that could never have happened. Warriors didn't kill unless they needed to. Perhaps that was what happened, but why would one of her warriors not tell her what happened? They must have something else to hide. As she pondered over this, she picked a rabbit out of the fresh-kill pile. Rabbits weren't common on their territory, but everyone and a while, one showed up. But the rabbit was too big for her, so she flicked her tail, summoning Swiftstream to her den.

"What is it Bloodstar?" the silver deputy mewed, rushing into the den. Her eyes went straight to the shoulder that had been injured during the battle. Even though it was completely healed by this point, the deputy was always fussing over it. Bloodstar got upset over this but she didn't have the heart to snap at Swiftstream.

"Here, eat some of this rabbit. I don't want to show up at the gathering as chubby as a kitty-pet," the leader purred out as her former apprentice bent down to eat some of the rabbit. Between the two of them, it lasted only moments. They were both in rush, since Swiftstream knew that her former mentor had something to saw and they had to leave for the gathering soon.

"Now, I want to talk to you about the attack by Moorclan," the female leader mewed out, getting up. She paced around her den, showing how worried she was to her deputy.

"What is it? Is your shoulder still hurting you?" the silver she-cat mewed, worried. Bloodstar had to suppress a hiss at the other she-cat for mentioning the wound. It was just a little scratch and now her former apprentice was going wild about it.

"No…" she mewed out, her annoyance making its self clear. "I want to tell you, I'm going to being asking about why they did that at the gathering. Tell Quietheart, Miragepaw, Sunpelt and Rabbitleap to be ready. I'm bringing the least threatening cats with me to avoid a battle. You'll be coming as well, but not because you're not threatening."

"Should I go inform them now?" Swiftstream asked, trying to keep her eyes away from the shoulder.

"Yes, but if Rabbitleap isn't well enough yet, call in Midnightpaw. I don't want any of my cats getting even more hurt because they tried to go somewhere before their ready," Bloodstar mewed, watching her former apprentice leave. Swiftstream was such a loyal cat. Even if she wasn't biased, she would probably have made her deputy anyways.

Bloodstar waited a little longer before getting out of her den and going to the group that was forming. Maybe she should have brought an elder with her. No, that wouldn't work. She couldn't trust them to keep their tongues in check. One little slip up and the whole clan could fall apart. Rabbitleap had joined them, but Quietheart looked sort of concerned. But, if he had even let him out of the den, it must mean that he was healed enough for the gathering.

"Alright, let's go," the blood coloured she-cat mewed, heading out of camp. Her patrol quietly followed behind her. Even though it had almost been a full moon since the attack, the clan still felt the wounds. Moorclan would be at the gathering, and just being around them would feel uncomfortable. Ironically, when they arrived, the only clan that was present was Moorclan. The Nightclan cat kept to one side of the clearing, while Moorclan stuck to the other. The only cats really to talk were the medicine cats from both clans and their apprentices.

Bloodstar lept up onto the meeting stump and greeted the Moorclan leader. She had no fondness for Sharpstar, in fact she disliked her quite a bit, but she wasn't going to start a fight just yet. Honestly, she had hoped this she-cat would never become leader, but it happened. Sharpstar, or Sharptongue at the time, had never been a very good deputy, picked only because she was Graystar's daughter. If the clan had known the old tom was on his last life, they might have complained. But like all leader, he kept it hidden. And now this psychopath was leader of Moorclan.

The awkward silence of the two clans didn't last long, like healing water, Rainclan came to the clearing. They spread out among both side, chatting about what had happened, be it kits born or how the prey was running. For such a lazy clan, they were very good at filling in the gap between the feuding clans. Their leader, Sandstar came and lept onto the Meeting Stump with the other two she-cats. Both Bloodstar and Sharpstar greeted her.

Unlike Sharpstar, Sandstar was well liked. Though this was her first gathering as a leader, she had been a great deputy, though young. Lionstar would be proud. Bloodstar made sure to put the young she-cat between herself and the bad tempered Moorclan leader. Looking down at her clan, the blood coloured she-cat felt a twinge of envy. As leader, she didn't have time to talk with the cats from other clans, like she did when she was a warrior or even deputy. She wanted chat with the Rainclan cat, but she had to do this instead.

Had any other leaders ever felt like this? She was sure some did, yet they instinctively knew not to show weakness. A weak leader meant a weak clan. She must not show any flaws, she must stand strong. Nothing can come in between her and her clan. No mates or kits, not siblings or love. She could not even have friends, for fear they might bias her decisions. But all of her choices were biased, to her former apprentice who shares her secret.

The blood coloured leader was snapped out of her trance as a silver pelt brushed up against her's. Ah, Darkstar had arrived. He'd been a leader as long as she had, and she greeted him respectfully. He greeted other leaders and stared out at the crowd. That's right; he wouldn't want to look at her. Their clans despised each other more than any others, instinctively, due to bad blood. And she did hurt him once. Perhaps one day he would forgive her, but for now they could not meet each other's eyes. The tension hung in the air, making Sandstar uncomfortable, and she yowled to start the gathering.

"Since I started this, I'll beginning," the newest leader mewed to the other leaders. "Prey has been running well for Rainclan. We have one new apprentice, Cloudpaw, and three new kits in the nursery. Darkmoon is close to kitting and will raise these three together with Lilysong." An uncomfortable mummer went out among the clans.

"Tell them the whole story!" yowled a flame furred Rainclan warrior. Bloodstar remembered this was Firefur, who had just recently become a warrior when she became leader. They had talked once or twice, and she could tell he was loyal but short tempered. "Tell them where those kits came from."

"Fine!" hiss the leader. "These kits were orphaned rogues that our warrior, lily song had been raising. When we found out about them, we decided to take them in since the clan needs more warriors. Now butt out!" The pale ginger leader sat back down and wrapped her tail around her paws, giving the clans a look that just asked them to challenge this. But a leader's word was law and she could not be questioned.

"I support her decision!" yowled the silver furred leader from beside Bloodstar. "Treeclan also has taken in a group of rogues. They will train to become warriors and help us in the future." He stood, giving the clan the same questioning look as Sandstar. "I believe that we should all take in outsiders. The Great Illness has made it difficult to even hunt for our queens and elders. What will we do if a war starts? We could all be wiped out!"

"Rainclan seconds this motion!" yowled Sandstar, happy to have an ally. Bloodstar let out a growl. How could they taint the clans that way? Rogues couldn't hunt like her warriors could. They weren't built for it. At least Sharpstar wouldn't agree to this.

"Moorclan also agrees!" yowled the dark brown she-cat, surprising Bloodstar. "We too have taken in a small group of rogues. They will train to become warriors and help our clan live through to the next generation."

"I can't believe you!" the blood coloured leader yelled. "How could you taint your clan's blood like that. Nightclan will not take in outsiders. We will survive on our own. In another note, we have two new apprentices, Duskpaw and Miragepaw. Miragepaw has decided to take the path of a medicine cat, and is being trained by Quietheart. The prey is running well, and we mourn the death of Sootflower who was killed in a Moorclan attack." As she finished her rant, she began to give the report on her clan. Her last little bit was an accusation.

"Moorclan has plenty of prey, and we have three new apprentices, but we are mourning the loss of young Fernpaw, who was cruelly killed by Nightclan," Sharpstar mewed, glaring at Bloodstar. The blood coloured she-cat fluffed up and hissed. Even though she had figured this out, accusing them in the middle of a gathering, that meant war.

"None of my warriors would do something like that without need. Perhaps she snapped and attacked one of my warriors and they had to kill her to get her away," the Nightclan leader mewed calmly. Her accusation hit Sharpstar like a blow and she jumped off the Meeting Stump, her back raised and poised to fight.

"You dare insult the dead!" Sharpstar mewed. Bloodstar jumped down and sat in front of her, a bored expression her face. She'd kept her clam and she was winning this little fight. Now for the grand finale.

"Or maybe you killed her yourself and were looking for a reason to attack my clan. It is in your greedy nature," the sly leader mewed, ready for an attack.

"You- You- This means war! Unless the murderer comes forward, we will attack and kill all of your clan!" the deep brown leader mewed. Her clan was muttering different things, one side envious while the other was yowling encouragement.

"No murder exists, so no murderer will come forward, and your clan will pay the price as much as mine. To kill us would break the warrior code. Are you saying you would do that in front of all these cats?" Bloodstar mewed calmly. Sharpstar stiffened and growled. Everything was going as planned, if she attacked, she would put her clan in danger and the other leaders surely wouldn't allow it.

"I don't care. My word is law. My decision is final. Unless we see that kill, you will be destroyed, and anyone else that gets in the way!" the Moorclan leader mewed. The other clans were stirring, ready to fight on Nightclan's side. Yes. It was perfect. Bloodstar could just see it. Moorclan with a new, better leader, forced to give territory to her clan. Yes, it was perfect. Of course, some cats would die, but that was the price to pay.

"Then, we shall see what happens…" the blood coloured leader mewed. Clans were moving closer to her clan, bristling and ready to fight. Sandstar had gotten off the stump, ready to fight too. Darkstar was more hesitant, but he was coming around when a loud yowl when up.

"Stop! Don't let anymore cat's die for what I did!" yowled a Nightclan cat.

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**Please review. You don't get to find out which cat until the next chapter.**


	13. For Love

**Sorry for taking so long to update. I was grounded. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Rabbitleap jammed himself between the three bickering leaders. He was to blame, and yet Sharpstar was saying that his whole clan would pay for it. Bloodstar wasn't innocent in this matter, either. The blood coloured she-cat was just begging for a war. He wouldn't blame the other two; they were outsiders who wouldn't let Sharpstar break the warrior code. If anything he felt sorry for them. They almost got roped into Bloodstar's game. Of course that made him glow with pride for a second. His leader had out smarted everyone, except him. Then again, no cat took kindly to being outsmarted, but he had to do this.

Ever since he had killed Fernpaw, he had nothing but nightmares. The better ones were just the clan turning him over to Moorclan where they killed him. But in some he was tortured, his skin pulled off, and in others Starclan abandoned him. Of course, with constant nightmares and the medicine cat always ordering him to sleep, it was understandable why his mental state was failing him. It took a lot of effort to even resist freaking out at the gathering. And now, his mental state was really off. He was sure if he confesses, all the bad dreams would go away, everyone would forgive him. Or at least Starclan, if they forgave him, he would be happy.

"It was me! All me! I'm the murderer! I killed Fernpaw!" he yowled, jumping onto the stump. Not only was he a murderer, he'd stepped onto sacred ground. Cats had been confined to camp for just sitting on the roots, unless invited. This place was sacred and he just lept on to it.

"You monster!" yowled a random Moorclan cat. She could have been Fernpaw's mentor, her mother, or just a clanmate, Rabbitleap would never know. Still her comment hurt. She didn't understand. Of course no cat would. Not even with the whole truth, he would still be a monster to them. He had no excuse; he murdered her in cold blood.

"See, my clan, see how he confesses. Of course his clan knew, they were hiding him, and now he's taking the coward's way out," the brown furred leader mewed, surprising everyone. "We can't attack him at a gathering, he's hoping that the truce will protect him, but he's wrong. Moorclan will have their blood!"

"You will not!" yowled Bloodstar, stopping the other leader before he ordered her clan to attack. "Have you no respect for the warrior code? You would break it that easily? Besides, you've already taken one life, Sootflower's. You will not have a second for one death." Rabbitleap suddenly felt safe. His leader was smart and powerful, she could stop an attack with the sentence. Surely if she forgave him, he would be safe.

"So you don't deny that you know?" Sharpstar mewed, thinking she had the other leader trapped.

"No, I just think chastising a stupid leader in far more important. If you lead your clan into pointless battles, you'll lose all of them," the blood coloured leader mewed. "Oh, and one look at my face would say I didn't know. But you wouldn't believe that. You're far too concerned with getting your clan killed." The big she-cat flapped her mouth open to reply but could find none. Bloodstar gave her a smug look, then looked at her warrior.

"Rabbitleap, since you have began your little story. You can't finish here. Tell us the whole story," the Nightclan leader mewed. Rabbitleap took in a gulp. He had to tell them. Now every cat would see a monster in the place of happy little Rabbitleap.

"It wasn't the last time the two of us had meet, and I didn't think it would be the last," he began, surprising the clan. How could they be so blind to have not noticed? "We first met at a gathering and hit it off. She was the prettiest cat I had ever met. A tiny, light brown tabby. I was lucky to get to her before any other, better, tom. We got along well, we were both apprentices and by the end of the gathering, she agreed to meet me at our boarder."

"Are you telling us Fernpaw broke the warrior code?" Sharpstar hissed, only to get silenced my Sandstar. Starclan, he could nuzzle that cat. She saved him from more of the she-cat's stupid chatter. How could any cat be that dumb and lead a clan?

"Yes, we both did. She was a new apprentice then, so it didn't seem important. I had only been training for two moons myself," he babbled, having a hard time getting on with the story. "It started out with just simple training together. I taught her what I knew, and she taught me what she learned from Moorclan. I bet you all thought she was just a natural. Nope, she was training with me." The tom took a small break to catch his breath and begin again.

"After a few moons, we fell in love. I was so happy. There were many times we considered switching clans of leaving altogether, but both our clans were in too harsh of shape to leave them. And we I became a warrior… things happened," he mewed, his fur burning up. "Then, that day came. She was waiting for me like normal and told me she was expecting my kits. I was so happy… Then, she told me the rest. She said she didn't love me as much as she thought and that she wanted to stop meeting. Then she told me the kits would never know who I was." The next words were painful. He couldn't do this, but he had to. He had to tell her what was said.

"I- I was so angry. I don't remember what happened next, but I bit her too hard. I broke her neck…" he mewed. The pain was worse than ever. Not only did he kill his love and unborn kits, but now everyone knew. Their eyes, they were cold, cruel. They all hated him. There was no forgiveness here, only hated. But, he didn't regret speaking. He'd stopped a war, one that would kill his love's precious clan. What was there to regret in saving lives instead of taking them? Yet, he still felt pain.

"So you are a murderer!" yowled Sharpstar, spitting out the tail. "You must be punished!"

"By his own clan," mewed Bloodstar, stopping the she-cat's advances.

"I ran… I hide the scent and body and went back to camp, nobody knew…" Rabbitleap continued. He was losing the last of his sanity, and every cat could see it. He felt someone nudge him off the stump. Bloodstar. No matter what he did, she wasn't going to punish him yet. Maybe this was good… Had he done the right thing?

His leader lead him all the way down to the bottom of the hill and then called her clan and left. Of course, the gathering would end right behind them, but none of the cats cared. They had other things to deal with. Rabbitleap was a murderer and he couldn't let to go away freely. But that wasn't something to be solved right now. Something more important was happening.

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Claws met fur. Blood splattered. Battle covered the Nightclan camp. With so few warriors, the clan was doing well. Moorclan had only sent a few cats, but it was still enough to do real damage. Duskpaw felt so useless, as she couldn't fight like the others. She didn't have well developed muscles, but she could fight a little. She was one the back of a black and white tom that she remembered from the first attack. She'd seen him battle either Badgerfur or Eagleswoop. But right now, the mentioned she-cat and tom were too busy to offer her any help. She'd have the beat him on her own.

The long legged she-cat clung to his back, digging him her claws. He tried laying on her, but that only made her dig her fangs into the back of his neck. It was lucky that Eagleswoop always commandeered her for battle training instead of letting her hunt with her mentor, or she wouldn't be able to handle this. Compared to the big she-cat, this tom was light. She could hold the other she-cat's weight for a while; so she could hold him for longer. The tom eventually got back up and shook. This surprised Duskpaw and she flew off. She prepared to attack when he ran off. Of glory to her, she'd beat her first opponent.

Of course she didn't get to celebrate long, when another apprentice leap onto her. He pinned her to the ground quite quickly and bit at her neck. Duskpaw let out a yowl out pain and the weight lifted, she turned to look at the cat, only to see him grappling with Midnightpaw. The tom had run over and protected her. As it often did, her crush flared up and she had to force it down. Now was definitely not the time.

The dark grey apprentice scanned the clearing and checked on the other warrior. All the invaders were in battles. A grey she-cat with black spots tussled with Badgerfur and a white she-cat fought Sunpelt. But they weren't the ones that needed help. It surprised Duskpaw to see Eagleswoop evenly matched, fighting a cat that could be her mirror image, except he was a tom. The two matched each other perfectly, knowing just how to use their huge bodies. Ina spilt second, Duskpaw decided she had to help that battle and hurled herself onto the tom.

"What are you doing?" hiss Eagleswoop, smacking the tom as he thrashed the get the little apprentice off.

"H-helping!" Duskpaw mewed, barely keeping her grip.

"Get off, I can handle him!" the big tabby mewed, and the apprentice did as she was told. The fight between the tabbies lasted a little while long, when they were the last two fighting and the rest of the clan had arrived. The big male realized he was out numbered and ran after his clan mates.

"Well, now I feel useless," mewed Swiftstream at the entrance of the camp.

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**Please review, I'll update soon.**


	14. Flirting

**This update is late too... Well, anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Moorclan hadn't sent many cats, so the injuries were simple cut and little wounds. Miragepaw finally got the lesson she wanted about chewing up marigold. Of course the lesson was rushed and she had to learn on the go, but at least she got her lesson.

"Now, show me your neck?" she mewed to Patchpaw. He was hurt the worst, attacked by the big tabby tom and forced to hide in the elder's den. He had a big gash on his neck and shoulder wound. Of course it wasn't anywhere close to life threatening, but he would have to stick to gentle training for the next little while. No battle training for him.

"I swear I'm fine," the young tom mewed, making Miragepaw roll her eyes. Did he really think he was fine? Ha! If he was fine, she was Bloodstar.

"Fine, I'll let you just sit around and stick in here. I'm sure you'll be happy when it gets infected and you have to spend the rest of your days in the elder's den, and there won't be many days left for you," Miragepaw mewed. Of course, she was exaggerating, but he wouldn't know that. Without hesitation, he raised his head and she put the cobwebs and chewed up marigold against the wound and began patting down to secure it. It was hard to keep cobwebs on an excited apprentice.

"You shouldn't play pranks on my apprentice," mewed Passionfire. Next to Patchpaw, he was hurt the worst. The black tom had been guarding the elder's den and had a run in with the big tom, as well as many other cats. The target of the raid had been the elders, much like the first one was after the kits. Miragepaw remembered that dark brown she-cat talking about it. Whether that had been in the dream, or if it had been real, she would never know, she just knew what had been said.

"Ow," complained Patchpaw, a fresh bit of blood coming from the wound. The tiny apprentice had been applying far too much pressure, and it reopening the wound, which her mentor had finally got to stop bleeding. Quietheart was not going to like this. Then again she wasn't going to tell him. Since she'd met her mother, she'd been nothing but the most obedient apprentice, even going to a point where it creeped him out. Of course, she wasn't that good. She was just skilled at hiding her mistakes. If he knew about this, she might not be able to see her mother and new friend for an extra moon.

Of course, that also wasn't the full story. Recently, everytime her mentor talked to her, she felt fluttering in her stomach. Terrified, she confessed to Sunpelt, who was the only she-cat left in the clan that she really trusted, Sunpelt was her aunt after all. The older she-cat tried to keep a straight face, but found it just too funny. Apparently it often happened to she-cats who had male mentors. It was just a little crush, but she wasn't to speak of it to her mentor. It would only make things really awkward. Sunpelt had made that mistake and now Badgerfur was her mate.

"Did the wound start bleeding again?" Quietheart mewed from behind his apprentice, making her jump. "I told you to stop moving around, Patchpaw." Miragepaw silently sighed that her mentor didn't suspect her. A half-moon ago he would have been on her tail, but now he trusted her because she had been so good. Thank Starclan for brown nosing.

"It wasn't me! It was Miragepaw!" Patchpaw mewed, making the young medicine cat take after Sparrowsong and cuff his ears. The stupid tom didn't know when to shut up.

"Warriors..." the male medicine cat mewed out, giving Miragepaw hope. "They whine like kits about us not doing our jobs right when it's really their fault that the healing failed." The tom rolled his eyes and picked up some moss and began wiping up the blood.

"But she-" he began before the silver she-cat stopped him. She'd seen her mother and Sunpelt use this to shut up their mates, and as naïve as she was, she didn't know what it could do. Before he could tell what she did, the little she-cat ran her tail down his hind leg. Instantly he stopped. Quietheart just continued to roll his eyes, and Miragepaw was sure everything was going to be okay.

"I have to tend to Sunpelt and Badgerfur, can you handle these two?" the black furred medicine cat asked, getting up and beginning to head off before he got his answer.

"Yes, I can handle it," she mewed eagerly.

"Oh how the good have fallen," mewed the already forgotten Passionfire. "Your brown nosing got to the level you would flirt with a tom to keep your flaws hidden. Oh, and your crush is really obvious."

"Ah- Er- Shut up!"

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet under Song stone for a clan meeting!" Bloodstar yowled from the top of the stone. Most of the cats who weren't injured were already at the stone, and even the injured came out to see. Moondance was there, his injuries almost completely healed. Now he was good enough for battle and patrols. Rabbitleap too. Everyone knew this meeting was coming, as one did after every battle.

"Moorclan once again attacked our clan, and they even had the nerve to do it at a gathering. They broke the warrior code, but I won't judge them for it. That's for Starclan to do," the leader mewed, her clan muttering. She silenced them with her tail easily and continued. "The attack wasn't as bad as the one before, but it was still bad. Yet, because of the courage of our warriors and apprentices we survived." The clan mewed among themselves, mostly singing their own praises, and their leader silenced them again, a warm look on her face. Miragepaw could read it well, and knew she was about to make a joke.

"As much as I would like to promote you all, I can only have one deputy and La- Swiftstream is a great one. So, I hope you can handle just being praised," the she-cat mewed, the clan laughing at her joke. Honestly, the young medicine cat didn't find it funny. Then again, she viewed it differently. For them they were part of it, she was viewing it from an outside view. Bloodstar couldn't praise her as a fighter, and didn't praise her healing abilities. "But there is a cat who can be promoted today. Midnight paw, come forth."

The medicine cat apprentice almost spilt her gut a the next event, which wouldn't be very good cause she would have to fix it. Eagleswoop rushed over to her apprentice and knocked him over, licking him to try and clean him up. The clan watched in an amused horror as she attempted to act like his mother. It was understandable though. She had never had a litter and his mother was killed by the Great Illness. Yet, this image would be burned into clan history until they both died.

"When you're finished molesting your apprentice…" Swiftstream mewed, breaking the awkward silence. Cats practically stuffed their tails into their mouth to stop from laughing, or whatever else they did at moments like this. Passionfire seemed particularly amused and even inched closer to the she-cat, earning him a glare. Eagleswoop realized what she was doing and backed away, leaving her apprentice looking worse than before. Bloodstar didn't look very amused, but continue the ceremony.

"Eagleswoop, is your apprentice ready to be a warrior? If I even need to ask," the blood coloured she-cat mewed.

"Yes, I am," Eagleswoop mewed, trying to sound calm, but she was very nervous. She could just feel them laughing at her. It was going to be like this all moon…

"Then, I, Bloodstar, leader of Nightclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Midnightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The blood coloured leader mewed, beginning the ceremony.

"I do," the dirt covered apprentice mewed, trying not to think of his fluffed up fur. This was not how he dreamed this happening. He wasn't expecting something amazing, but he got made to look like a fool moments ago.

"Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Midnightpaw, from this moment you will be known as Midnightsky. Starclan honors your speed and courage, and we welcome you as a full member of Nightclan," Bloodstar mewed, jumping off her rock. The new warrior came forward and licked her should while she rested her head on him. The clan cheered, and even the traitorous Rabbitleap joined in. It was a moment of joy. But just a moment.

"Now to serious matters. Rabbitleap confessed to breaking the warrior code, both by falling in love with a cat from another clan, and by killing," the leader mewed, getting interrupted by her clan.

"Why did you even bring him back then?" yowled Badgerfur. He was known for being temperamental and impulsive. If t was his choice, they would have given the tom to Moorclan.

"You're not thinking. He's a warrior, and we have very few left. We need him, if only to hunt. But he will be punished," Bloodstar promised. "Earlier this moon I gave him his first apprentice, Duskpaw. He never got to train her, which is good, because he'll have nothing to miss. He will never again mentor a cat, and Duskpaw will be given a new mentor. Also, this means he can never be deputy."

The clan murmured for a bit. It wasn't that harsh of a punishment, but it would stay with him forever. Plus, it was clever. It kept him from fleeing while also kept the clan happy. Miragepaw couldn't help admiring the leader. She wasn't hiding what it meant, yet nobody would object. If only she could be like that one day. No, that was Duskpaw's destiny now. Wait, who was going to be her mentor now… Oh, please let it be Bloodstar.

"Seeing as she doesn't have a mentor at the moment, Eagleswoop will mentor Duskpaw. After all, that's pretty much what she's been doing," Bloodstar joked yet again. Oh well, Eagleswoop was a great warrior. She would teach her to be strong. "Anyway, that is all I wished to speak with you about. People continue with your duties."

The clan went back to what they were doing. Miragepaw was heading back to the den , when she saw Patchpaw flick his tail to tell her to follow him. Of course she did, excepting him to yell at her. That was fine, as long as her mentor didn't hear. But things never turned out as one would suspect.

"I'm sorry. You're a really pretty and smart cat, but I like someone else!" Patchpaw mewed once they were out of ear-shot of the others.

"What?" Oh, what did she do to deserve this…

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**Little Miragepaw learned to use her feminine wiles. Anyway, review. The next chapter is going to be a surprise.**


	15. Moor

**Updated again. This chapter was originally a thousand words longer, but that part was really bad. i might re-write it again some day. Anyway, this chapter is from the point of view of both Dreamclaw, made by Kesli caster, and Softpaw, who I can't rememebr who made her, but they were the first person to review, I think. I'll check and edit this later, but for now, I'm really tired.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Dreamclaw's eyes snapped open. He was panting a little, and yet he didn't know why. Probably a bad dream. Since his littermate, Crowpelt, was killed by rogues, he'd been having a lot of them. Strangely, when he woke up, he never remembered any of them, which wasn't good for a medicine cat. He was supposed to be getting dreams from Starclan and interpretation them, but he hadn't had one for moons. Maybe he would soon, or maybe his apprentice was getting them instead.

Speaking of his apprentice, he looked over to the sleeping she-cat. He felt a twinge of some unnamable emotion, but didn't do anything about it. He was such a young medicine cat, yet he had an apprentice. That wasn't common, and what was less common was that it wasn't his choice. Yes, Softpaw had talent, buckets full really, but he didn't want or need an apprentice. If Sharpstar hadn't intervened, he would never have taken on the little fluff ball. Yet, she didn't seem suited for the life of a warrior, and he couldn't blame her for the unworthy leader's choices, so he'd pretend to like her.

"Finally! You took forever to wake up," mewed a large tabby tom from one of the other nests. He'd been injured in the battle by the tabby she-cat, Eagleswoop, and the murderer's apprentice, Duskpaw. This was the first time the big tom had been kept overnight for injuries and he was just wailing away over it. It annoyed the black furred medicine cat, but he did nothing about it, he wouldn't hurt an injured cat. Yet, it had another bad effect too. Softpaw popped out of her nest, frightened awake by the big tom's voice. Foxdung, he'd have to stay acting sooner than he had planned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Beastclaw. If you were uncomfortable, you should have woke me, or my mentor, up," Softpaw mewed, making Dreamclaw want to roll his eyes. The little she-cat could be too nice, and he wasn't in the mood for this today. Lying back down in his nest, he watched the young apprentice work. She flawlessly chewed up the marigold and placed the cobwebs, making the tom want to curl his lips in disgust. She didn't have to work hard to learn that, he did. She had heaps of talent, and he didn't.

'Perhaps that's why you're jealous of her?' mewed a small voice in his head. Strange how it sounded much like his sister, but he ignored it. He was not jealous of her talent. He her mentor and that meant that he was much more skilled then she was. Of course, she was learning fast, but she had moons to go, even more than a warrior apprentice, before she was ready to be called a full medicine cat.

'Then why does she keep irritating you. I remember you being a fairly calm cat; I wouldn't expect you to get jealous,' the voice mewed again, making him wish he could get up and leave it behind. That was the bad thing about having a voice in your head, you couldn't escape it. And such a smug voice too, thinking it knew everything about him. Wait…

'Starclan?' he thought, directing it toward the voice in his head, or at least trying. Finally, after moons, Starclan wanted to talk to him. Even when he visited the Star Stone, his dreams had now starry ancestors to talk with him.

'No, I wouldn't call myself that. Yes, I'm dead, but I didn't go to Starclan, you needed me more,' the voice came, surprising him. Not all dead cats went to Starclan and what connection did this cat have to him?

'I know more about you then you do yourself, and if you weren't suppressing so much of your memory, you would know more about me then I do. We've always been connected, and in a way, you could say I was you. But to the point, don't envy that she-cat. She may have talent, but she lacks wisdom, which you have, and have always had. Maybe it will rub off on her some day, maybe not,' the voice in his head mewed.

'Wait, can you go back to the part about us being the same cat?' Dreamclaw asked the voice, but got no reply. What ever had been in his head decided to be quiet. The black furred tom curled up in his nest for a moment, mauling it over. Maybe there really was a spirit from outside of Starclan guiding him; maybe he was just plain crazy. He couldn't figure out which one it was, so he'd have to take the advice and enough thyme to stop him from running around the clan like a mad cat screaming 'The end is near'. Oh, what a day…

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Softpaw dressed the wounds of the huge warrior with care. Despite being clanmates and his childish persona, he was intimidating. Or perhaps it was because of those things that he sent a chill down her spine. The huge tom might just snap one day, and since he was the best fighter in the clan, what would any cat standing against him do? If only they had someone who could match him. Until the previous day, she didn't believe that could happen, but the other warriors gossiped about how a single cat brought him down, and even told another to stop helping them fight. She was glad that both cats did not reside in the same clan or their ambitious leader might try and make them into her private guard. One, they could handle, but two, two would be a big problem.

"Hey, when do you think I can get out of this stuffy den?" mewed Beastclaw, shuffling. For a moment the medicine cat apprentice was offended. Stuffy? This place had the most amazing smell, and it was more than big enough. A cat could spend their life in a place like this, if they didn't need to eat, or didn't get bored. Btu, she guessed that was his problem. He was bored, and somehow he found those long patrols and hunting tripped seemed fun to him. Not to her though, she could never wish for the life a warrior, and even if she couldn't have many things that other cats did, she knew she was special to Starclan.

"You should be out by tomorrow, if you don't pull the cobwebs off," she said in a pleasant voice, calming the warrior. This was part of her job as a medicine cat too, calming the cats down. She was in charge of both their physical and mental health. It felt great to be a medicine cat. The apprentice closed her eyes with joy and almost didn't notice the warrior shifting. Luckily the sound of the bracken and shifting moss tipped her off.

"Can I at least go for a walk around the territory?" the tom asked, sounding like his normal whiney self. She had no clue have such a huge cat could sound so young, but it happened. And it was funny.

"It's not a very good idea, you could get pull the cobwebs off, or get into something that could infect it…" she mewed.

"And you could loosen up a bit. Come on, I'll die of boredom in here," he mewed, flopping his head to the side and closing his eyes to prove his point. Her worried expression didn't change and he opened one of his eyes playfully.

"Still, what if you got attacked because you couldn't fight with those wounds, and died?" Softpaw mewed worried. It was a weak excuse, and she knew he would counter it, but she didn't want to seem like a push over. What would become of a clan that could walk all over their medicine cat? Chaos, that's what would happen.

"If you're so worried about my wounds, then come with me," Beastclaw mewed, surprising the apprentice.

"B-but I'm needed here, and ummm… My mentor, and..." she babbled, unable to find a good excuse. The big tom got up and shouldered her a little, only to flinch because his shoulder had a big wound on it.

"Y-your mentor is taking a snooze," he mewed, stuttering because of the pain. "And I bet you've never seen the whole territory."

"Well, with the tension between our clan and Nightclan, it would be a good idea to stay away if you don't have to go. Plus Forrestclan isn't too happy with us trying to extend our territory, and don't get me started on Rainclan," she mewed, looking down. She already knew the answer; she was going for a walk.

"Oh don't be a coward, come on, let's walk! Plus, none of our territory is connected to Rainclan," he mewed, walking out of den. Without another word, she followed. He moved rather slowly, probably because of his wounds, and first went to the fresh-kill pile.

"You haven't eaten yet have you?" he mewed, stating the obvious. They just woke up, of course she hadn't eaten. He passed her a rabbit and sat down to eat it with her. The young she-cat felt nervous about eating before the elders and queens, but the fact she was a medicine cat, and Sharpstar's orders that elders and queens ate last, allowed her to eat. Thinking about the cruel leader made her want to spit out her meal and bring it to the elders, but she couldn't. Showing disobedient to the leader would get her thrown out. She didn't want to end up like Larchpelt, the medicine cat before her mentor.

Looking over at the big tabby she was eating with, she saw he had no such troubles. That wasn't surprising, since the cat had been mentored by evil leader herself. Although, he didn't seem that bad. A little spoiled, a little childish, but she could live with that. Perhaps they could be friends some day. Funny, earlier she would never have thought that, but since she started talking to him, he seemed less scary. Now she felt bad for fearing him because of his appearance, but she couldn't even apologize, for fear of making things worse. Funny, he was huge cat in the clan of small cats. It didn't seem natural, and it made him different, an outcast. Did he even have any friends? Probably not. That made her want to befriend him even more.

"Aren't you hungry? The tom asked, after finishing most of the rabbit. It was a bit selfish, but reasonable. He was huge and she was tiny. He needed far more food than the rest of them. The little she-cat shook her head and let him finish it. This gave her time to stretch before the walk. She would need it, seeing as he had much more endurance then she did.

Once the rabbit was gone, they took off at a quick pace. Though his excuse to walk with her was many about his injuries and to show her the territory, which was soon forgotten. Throughout most of the walk, they just talked. She did check the cobwebs once and a while, and he did show her some land marks, but they spent most of their time chatting away. It seemed to have a positive effect on both, he gave her some spirit which she had forgotten she had, and she kept him calm. It seemed to both like a great friendship was born, but in the back of Softpaw's mind, she could help worrying if it would become more than that.

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**As an author, I shouldn't say this, but... I approve! please note, these things happen on the spot. I didn't plan any of this. Anyway, review.**


	16. Mousebile

**Sorry this chapter took so long, I first started typing it during a power outage, so it was on my mom's laptop. Anyway enjoy. Also, Softpaw belongs to Lacey. Sorry for forgetting.  
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**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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A small yawn came from the apprentice's den as Patchpaw awoke. Although he did check, the young tom didn't have to look to know his sister had already left the den. She was an early riser, and he was not. In fact, that was the last thing any of his clan mates would call him. He was lazy, and sort of boring, just the average tom, but then again, he was far less average then his sister. He had skills in some areas, and faults in others, while she was moderate, not good, not bad, in all areas. Of course, he didn't see that, he was blind to his sister's problems. To him, she was a happy young she-cat, and so he wouldn't' mess with that.

Leaving the den, he walked out into the clearing, his eyes longingly going to the fresh-kill pile. He wished there was enough for him to grab a snack unnoticed, like there normally was in New Leaf, but right now the warrior's wounds made it more difficult to catch prey. Plus, Sunpelt was the best hunter and she was in the nursery. She was already a moon and a half along, and the black and white apprentice squirmed at the thought of having siblings. Would they look up to him? Would they beg him to teach them hunting moves and tell them stories, which he would really over exaggerate, about how he fought when Moorclan attacked? Or, would they not even know he was their brother?

He'd heard the story before, cats not even knowing of their kin. If you were littermates, sure you would know, but if not your parents might not treat your siblings like they're related to you. Patchpaw worried that might be the case. What if he had siblings before the great illness? Ones that died and his parents didn't speak about. Or, what if one of his trusted clan mates was his kin? Starclan forbid he be related to Passionfire, who every cat knew he was attracted to, or even worse, Eagleswoop. Sure the she-cat wasn't rude or evil like every cat fears, but she looked scary, and a bit off.

Nightclan was no Moorclan, but cats rarely got that big in their clan. The only cats who compared to that size were the lazy ones in Rainclan. How was she supposed to ambush a cat if she was the size of a bloody tree? Yet, she came in handy after the original ambush. The huge she-cat could fight like no other. It was kind of amazing to watch. But right now he didn't have time to think about that, his mentor was nearing. The apprentice tried to straighten is back, to look big and stronger, but it caused a sharp pain in his back. Even though it wasn't his worst wound, when that big tom attacked him, he left a nasty bite on his back. It still caused him slight pain to sit up, but he wasn't going to run to the medicine cats like a kit.

"Your back still hurting you?" his mentor asked, having creeped behind him when he pain distracted him. Funny how he moved so fast, Patchpaw had only closed his eyes for a second. Then again, Passionfire was always fast to get behind a cat. Realizing an altertnate meaning to what he had just thought, the young tom felt his fur burn. He needed to stop thinking these things. As a young tom, he had thought like this often. Not always about his mentor, sometimes about other cats too. Once he horrified himself by having one of his little thought about his sister. Ever since, he'd scolded himself for thinking like almost every other cat his age.

"It's fine," he mewed, only to find the tom's interest had changed places. Passionfire rubbed his tail on the apprentice's cheek, feeling the warm skin, and he gave a little chuckle.

"Embarrassed about something?" the mentor asked playfully. "You're a young cat, it's expected for you to have a bad thought every once and a while. I know, most toms your age aren't quite as far along in that way as you are, but you're an early bloomer. I was too, which is why I know. But let me tell you something, I never stopped having those thoughts." The big warrior turned, so that he couldn't see his mentor's face, but the expression was etched in his mind. That cocky, yet kind expression. His mentor always looked like that when he was thinking. Maybe that was the thing he loved most about his mentor.

He loved his mentor, not in the scary way that his sister loved him, but in a strange, adoring way. He would never understand why he loved the tom, since the apprentice had never been that way before. Of course Passionfire took pride in being able to bring the young tom over to his side, at least for him, and made his relationship with the apprentice clear. Not ever cat was pleased, Badgerfur, Sunpelt and Swiftstream in particular. Only Rosepaw, Miragepaw and Duckpaw remained oblivious. Patchpaw was grateful for that; he wasn't sure how his sister would react. Of course, he didn't know her true nature, but that didn't matter. She was his sister and she might not approve.

"Thinking about how much you adore me?" the big tom purred out, walking back in front of his apprentice. "But that will have to wait, we're hunting today. Eagleswoop and her apprentice will be coming too." The black and white tom almost let out a groan, but held it back out of respect, and fear. Eagleswoop and Duskpaw were horrible hunters, more likely to scare off the prey then to catch anything. Of course he wouldn't say anything, the big she-cat was as good a fighter as she was a bad hunter. Duskpaw he could deal with, except her sister was the medicine cat apprentice. He knew he should trust her, but there was always something in her eyes. Something dark and scary. Why nobody else saw it, he would never know, but it was there.

"Oh don't get your tail in a twist," Passionfire mewed, a smirk on his face. It was like Patchpaw never needed to say anything. His mentor could read him like a book and spoke for him. Some would say he was dominating in the relationship, but his apprentice never minded. It just meant he didn't have to make big choices for himself. Letting out a sigh, he ran to the meeting point. The clan wasn't original; it was always right outside the camp entrance. The tom's mentor had followed behind him, causing the tom to smile. They never had to speak to communicate. If the rest of the clan was like this, they would never fail in battle. But they weren't some cats just wouldn't get along.

"You're late..." came the growl of Eagleswoop, chilling the apprentice's blood. She was a clanmate, so why was she so scary? Why was every cat instinctively dislike her? And why didn't she look like a Nightclan cat? He guessed he would never know, but it just sort of gnawed at the back of his brain. He'd like to find out someday.

"Sorry, I slept in..." the apprentice mewed, looking away. The big tabby let out a huff and headed off into the forest. Night had already fallen and the forest was thriving. Unlike the other clans, they had only the night to hide them. The patrol moved silently, communicating through their motions. Yes, their boarder patrols too were silent, but it was nothing like this. The sound of twig snapping would be a relief from the awful silence of the forest at the moment. A cat's heart beat and breathing was the only thing that sounded.

Suddenly, the sound of a mouse scurrying alerted the cats. Eagleswoop prepared to motion for her apprentice to catch it, but Passionfire stopped her. The tom then flicked his tail for Patchpaw to go forward. Yes, he was a good hunter. Creeping up on the mouse, he leapt, snapping it's neck easily. When he looked back, the patrol was already moving. Eagleswoop was the patrol leader, and she wasn't in the best of moods. Her authority had been undermined by a younger warrior. That was enough to make any warrior mad.

The patrol carried on for most of the night, catching a few more mice, a few toads and a small bird. It wasn't the best load, but it was enough to feed the elders and Sunpelt, plus most of the warriors. But this made Eagleswoop even more upset, seeing as she caught not a single thing, and even her apprentice fared better then her, using her long legs to swipe up that bird. As the patrol leader was upset, the pace of the patrol increase, and the feel of it grew harsh. This only succeeded in making it harder to hunt. Who could catch a mouse if Eagleswoop was giving them dirty looks?

When the patrol returned to camp, everything was peaceful. Cats were sunning, or in this case, mooning, themselves, and the fresh-kill pile was large. It seemed they sent out another hunting patrol too. Patchpaw placed his prey on the pile, sighing at how insignificant it seemed. The rest of the patrol did the same, but theirs was just as insignificant as his. It was clear that Badgerfur lead the other patrol, he was the best hunter, next to his mate. Plus he was barely injured, so he hunted better then the rest of the clan. That little fast made the black and white apprentice glow with pride. He father may not be the kindest cat, but he was a great hunter, and his mother too, plus she had as good personality. He came from the one of purest blood lines of cats, so he was sure one day he would do great things, maybe even become clan leader.

"Spacing off again?" came a voice form behind him. Rosepaw sat there, holding a ball of moss. Apparently she had been in charge of changing the elder's bedding. Eww, that was a nasty job, and it always came with the chance of having ones ears cuffed, if Sparrowsong was in a bad mood. Patchpaw was glad he went hunting today.

"Did she cuff your ears today?" Patchpaw asked his sister, surprising her.

"How did you know I was cleaning up after the elders?" she mewed through her ball of moss.

"The moss. It's a give away," he mewed with a chuckle. Oh how foolish his sister was. Or at least that was what he though. He didn't she how her body showed her cunning pride at being able to make her seem dumb. He didn't see that darkness in her eyes, and most of all, he didn't see her next comment coming.

"Hey, would you mind helping me out in there?" she mewed, her eyes large and pleading. Darn it, she was good sometimes. He couldn't resist helping her, since they made a promise when they were little. They, and their other two siblings, Heatherkit and Brackenkit, had snuck out of camp. Btu along the way, they ran into a fox. The fox killed Brackenkit, and Heatherkit distracted it while her siblings got away, costing her her life. The two living kits felt so guilty that they mad e a pact to never turn their back on the other when they needed help.

"Fine, but you have to help me next time that I get elder duty," he mewed out, looking away. She had broken their pact before, but he never could. He'd been so close to the other two, while Rosepaw didn't like to leave the nursery.

"Good, you go get the mouse-bile and I'll set down the new moss," she mewed, running off. With a sigh, he headed to the medicine cat's den. And of course Quietheart had to be out, leaving him with the silver furred apprentice. Not only did the creepy look in her eyes make him nervous, but shye had run her tail down his leg, a half moons ago, and that was a very suggestive gesture. He did not want to get caught up in a relationship with the medicine cat. Those always ended horribly.

"Do you need something?" the little she-cat asked, her eyes meeting his. They were kind, and normal at first, but he saw past that. He saw coldness, and a dark wisdom. A desire for revenge and unrelenting hatred, lashing out at him and every other cat. Looking away, he answered.

"Mouse-bile, I need mouse-bile," he said, making sure not to look at her. He hated looking at her eyes, and yet he felt compelled to everytime he saw her. The sound of pawsteps almost made him sigh with relief, and her felt a lump of horrible smelling moss land in front of him.

"Here's your mouse-bile. You better hurry back to your sister, she gets moody," Miragepaw mewed, an amused edge to her voice. Every cat knew how easily his sister pushed him around and it seemed like they always knew when it was happening. Muttering about that, the tom headed out of the den. It was a short walk to the elder's den, but his legs were throbbing from the patrol and he had to roll the stinking ball of mouse bile along with him. In other words, it took a while to get there. All Patchpaw could think was how angry his sister would be.

"You're late!" mewed Rosepaw, only to get cuffed by Sparrowsong for being so loud. The moss had been spread out evenly, and was only disrupted by where the elder's slept. What a perfectionist, that Rosepaw. She never seemed to let anything just fall the way it was. It had to be perfect. That was probably why she was always on elder duty; the elders hated the sloppy job that Patchpaw did.

"Don't scold me, I'm doing you a favour," the tom mewed out, rolling the mouse-bile to her. The little she-cat scorched her face in disgust, and rolled it back. Seeing that his sister wanted him to put it on the elder's tick, Patchpaw rolled it back to her. She repeated the action and it became sort of fight. Of course, they started to roll the moss faster and faster until they lost control of it and it slammed into the sleeping face of Lionpelt.

"What are you kits doing?" roared the she-cat's mate, Tigerslash. He wrapped his tail around his mate who was coughing up a storm, disgusted by the smell of her face. Slowly he led her out of the den, to get the bile washed off her face. Sparrowsong also seemed quite upset, as she got up and came towards them.

"Get out of this den until you can act like apprentices and not kits," she mewed, shoving them both out with her muzzle. Patchpaw noted how weak she seemed and made sure to give as little resistance as possible without hurting to old she-cat's pride. No cat wanted to admit they were getting to weak to push around an apprentice.

"But I'm supposed to check you for ticks!" Rosepaw mewed as she was shoved out.

"You can do that when you grow up. I can deal with ticks for a day!" the old she-cat said before storming back into the den and curling up. Patchpaw lowered his tail in shame, while his sister fluffed up with indignity. They would probably have to ask Duskpaw to finish the job for them, since she was the only apprentice not to be banished from the den. But they never got the chance to do that, as the yowl of the leader interrupted everything.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet under Song Stone for a clan meeting!" yowled Bloodstar, and cats began gathering under the stone. Normally the she-cat would wait for their whole clan to come before continuing, but she didn't. It must be something important if that was the case.

"Over the last moon, our clan has been attacked, not just once, but twice. And the second time was on the night of a gathering. I will not stand for this, will you?" the blood coloured she-cat asked her clan, getting angry yowled as answer. They were the tough clan; nobody would take advantage of them. "That's what I thought. Tomorrow we will be launching an attack on their clan, and claiming a part of their territory. I have already decided which cats will be going. Swiftstream will be leading the attack, and the warriors who will be going are Eagleswoop, Passionfire, Midnightsky, Rabbitleap, and Badgerfur. Patchpaw, Duskpaw and Miragepaw will also be going."

The clan started muttering about why the medicine cat apprentice would be going, but the leader gave them no chance to ask her. She leap off her rock and headed back into her den. The muttering eventually silenced and they went to their dens, some to sleep and get ready for the battle, some to share tongues. Patchpaw was no exception and he headed to his nest only to find a fuming Rosepaw already curled up.

"It's no fair," she mewed when her brother came in. "You get to attack their camp and all I get is to clean up after the elders. It's not right!" The tom instantly felt his heart plummet. He'd been very excited about the battle, but now all that flooded out of him. His sister was depressed and he had to comfort her.

"I'm sure it's-" he began getting cut off.

"Cause they want me to guard the camp, right? Ha, no way!" she mewed, looking him in the eyes. Fro a moment he saw the same thing in her as he did the medicine cat apprentice, but her shoved that thought a side and looked at her muzzle instead.

"I wasn't-" he began again.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear!" she hissed at him, turning away. "Oh, and wash your pelt, you stink." The tom looked away and began cleaning his chest. He might as well make her comfortable. Once he was done their, he licked his paw to clean of his ears and tasted something foul. Oh, dear Starclan, he forgot to wash off the mouse-bile.

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**Review please. I'm disappointed I didn't get any last chapter.**


	17. Crimson

**Sorry this chapter took so long. But it's pretty long, and I kept gettin distracted. Now for the long awaited chapter.**

**P.S. This Story is rated P for Passionfire. Oh, and this chapter gets a little gory.  
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**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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Miragepaw partially shot out of her nest the next day. Her body was raring to go, her spirit alight with the thought of getting revenge on the she-cat who killed her mother. It seemed even Bloodstar supported this, since she sent her on a raid. Of course the cover would be she was to heal those that were badly injured and the steal herbs from the medicine cats den, but she was sure it was a cover. Together with Duskpaw she could get revenge. Rushing out of the den, she ran into her father. The big silver tom looked worried, and started to lick his kit's forehead.

"My cute little Miragepaw…" Moondance mewed, looking down at her. He was one of the few cats staying back in the camp; in fact he was the only warrior. Instead of pitying herself, like her father thought she should, something she didn't understand, she pitied him. He wouldn't be there to get revenge for his mate. Clearly Bloodstar didn't send him because she was afraid of making her intentions clear to the rest of the clan. Miragepaw knew, why else would she be sent on the patrol?

"I'm okay Dad," she mewed, looking up at him, not even trying to hide her joy. For a reason she couldn't understand, the tom's eyes clouded over with sorrow. She knew nothing of the truth, and he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. If he did, he knew she wouldn't be his little kit anymore. She would be cruel, and cold. She might even leave the clan.

"Make sure to steer clear of the battle. And only go near enemy cats to grab one of your clan mates and go," he mewed. What a stupid cat. She was sure he didn't know what he was talking about. She was going to kill her mother's murderer. An eye for an eye, right?

"I will, I will," she lied. It didn't convince her father, and he was about to say something, but she slipped past him. Even if he wanted to talk to her, she didn't have to listen, like her sister. Medicine cats were outside certain rules, she didn't have to listen to warriors like apprentices did, she could even request them to do things, and they would almost certainly do it.

After dealing with her father, the little she-cat walked over to the fresh-kill pile and picked out a mouse. It wasn't that big, but it would certainly be enough to fill her. The other assigned to go on the patrol were eating as well, except for Patchpaw, who everyone knew was still asleep. The black and white tom never seemed to get up on time. He was lucky he was Badgerfur's son or the big warrior would have clawed him. Eventually, after finishing her meal, the silver she-cat went over to wake him up.

Walking into the apprentice's den was never easy for the little she-cat. The hollow tree stump had been a place she always wanted to go when she was a kit, but the apprentice's at the time refused to let her in. Even though she had accepted her fate as a medicine cat, the memories of how she longed for this place squeezed at her heart. But she'd just have to get over that. There was nothing she could do so she might as well make the best of her situation.

Patchpaw was asleep at the back of den, and to her surprise, Rosepaw was still snoozing away. She pitied the brown she-cat. She may not be the best fighter, but she was trying. Why couldn't she come on the patrol? Her theory was that Bloodstar forgot about her. Sometimes even she forgot Rosepaw. The little she-cat was just so forgettable. But enough inner monologuing, she had things to do. Stepping over Rosepaw, Miragepaw nudged the black and white tom.

"No… I don't wanna get up," the tom mewed, rolling over. The silver she-cat rolled her eyes and continued prodding him.

"No, Rosepaw, I-" he began, but once he opened his eyes, his words froze. Miragepaw wondered why this was, but decided it must be connected to the time she had stopped him from talking before. Or maybe he was surprised she was in this den. Whatever it was it shut him up and sent him to his feet.

"H-Hello Miragepaw. What do you want?" Patchpaw mewed a bit to fast. It was kind of rude, but Miragepaw wasn't going to make a scene. After all, there was a sleeping cat almost directly under her.

"It's almost time for the battle, I thought you might want to eat," she said with an amused look in her eyes, not that he could tell. He never looked directly at her. It was kind of weird but she grew used to that treatment.

"Oh, right, I'd better go eat," he mewed, running past her, even stepping on his sister. The light brown she-cat grunted and stirred but refused to get up. The poor cat must have stayed up all night, her misery keeping her awake. Miragepaw knew that feeling, during her first night of being a medicine cat apprentice; she had almost no sleep and was more grouchy than usual. But, once again, she didn't have time to waste feeling sorry for the brown apprentice. She had a battle to fight.

"Members of my patrol!" yowled Swiftstream from the front of the camp, alerting silver apprentice. "We leave now, if you didn't eat, don't bother whining to me. We leave now!" Miragepaw rushed out of the apprentice's den to see the cats leaving. That was like the deputy. She was so impatient, never waiting for others, never letting cats whine, but she was strong. With the clan in the weak state it was, she was what the clan needed. As was this battle, it would show them all that Nightclan was back on their paws.

The medicine cat apprentice followed the patrol, trying to keep up their pace, but it was difficult. She was a small cat, not slim, small. Her legs were short and she didn't have the advantage of all the muscles the warriors had. Quietheart didn't let her out of den much; he was normally lecturing her about what each herb did, so she was still developing muscles. Looking at the other cats, she noticed how her sister was doing. The dark grey she-cat was near the front of her patrol, her body rippling with muscles and her longs legs covering twice the distance that Miragepaw could. The little medicine cat couldn't help but be jealous and pass it off as only because Duskpaw was a warrior apprentice.

Unfortunately for Miragepaw, her sister noticed her glaring and slowed down to walk beside her. The dark grey she-cat opened her mouth to speak, but Miragepaw's glare sharpened to an intensity that shut up her sister immediately. Nightclan cats didn't talk during patrols, ever. They could take walks and talk, but never while hunting, looking after the boarders, or going to attack. Every kit old enough to leave the nursery knew that, and certainly a apprentice should. The silver she-cat felt a harsh shame at being related to the ditsy grey apprentice, but didn't hold on to it long. She didn't get to pick her kin, and she did care for Duskpaw.

With her sister walking silently beside her, Miragepaw smelled the difference in the air as soon as she crossed the boarder. She'd never been to this part of the territory before, none of the herbs here were useful at the moment and the tension with Moorclan was too great to risk letting their medicine cat get kidnapped. True, most leaders would never go that far, but Sharpstar was just plain crazy. While the little she-cat pondered this, the patrol stopped and she found her face bashed into the rear end of Patchpaw, who jumped and took a few steps forward to hide behind his mentor.

"We'll attack in two waves. The cats with the darkest pelts will lead the attack. Quietly take out the guards, after that, the rest of us will rush in," the deputy began, the cats all listening to her intently. "Passionfire, Rabbitleap, and Duskpaw will be our first wave. The rest will attack with me. Eagleswoop, your main duty will be to keep the warriors in their den. Badgerfur, you're to help her. Patchpaw, take the apprentices. Miragepaw, raid the medicine cat's den, if there are more cats in there then you, flee. You're not to be injured." The light silver cat flinched at two parts of that statement. First, her gentle little sister would be in the first wave, the most dangerous. Second, she wasn't allowed to fight. But if a cat attacked her, surely she could 'defend herself'.

While she thought this over, the silver tabby gave the rest of the orders and the first wave began their attack. Without hesitation, the three slipped forward, Passionfire in the lead. If she wasn't a Nightclan cat, the medicine cat apprentice was sure she would never have seen the slight differences between the pelts of her clanmates and the grass. What surprised her the most was that Duskpaw was sneaking across the grass like a full grown warrior. Miragepaw could barely tell her apart from the warriors until she sprung at the guards.

In less than a second, both guards had been defeated and knocked out, unable to yell for their clanmates. A perfect victory. Then again, ambushes were what Nightclan was famous for. As soon as the two warriors fell, the second wave swarmed into camp. Miragepaw stuck to back of wave and waited to see the others head to their positions. Something must have alerted the Moorclan cats, because they began to stir, attacking Eagleswoop and Badgerfur who were trying to block the entrance of the warrior's den. There wall didn't last long as the warrior burst out, attacking them. Eagleswoop tussled with a big tabby tom who was practically her clone while Badgerfur fought off a black tom and white she-cat with black spots.

Badgerfur appeared to be losing until Duskpaw jumped the tom, clinging to his back and using her long legs to scratch at his belly. Miragepaw tried to turn towards the medicine cat's den but out of fear her body freeze. Funny, when she dreamed of this, she was a great warrior who feared nothing, but now she couldn't even move an inch. As if every cat knew that, no one attacked.

The battles around her got fierce. Patchpaw had taken out both apprentices and was fighting a white she-cat who smelled like milk. Rabbitleap was grappling with the deputy, who was clearly winning. Neither Eagleswoop nor Badgerfur had changed positions. Meanwhile her sister was quickly losing her battle. This was the same tom she fought last time and now he knew to hold on longer then her. Soon Duskpaw couldn't handle it and had to flee. About to follow her sister's example, Miragepaw felt something barrel into her flank.

A small white and ginger she-cat had pinned her down, though her grip was sloppy, and Miragepaw easily flipped her to the side. She hadn't been trained for battle yet, but she could tell neither was the other cat. The silver apprentice took the lead this time, scratching the white a ginger apprentice's belly. The cat let out a cry which snapped Miragepaw out of her daze. Why of all cats did this one have to attack her?

"Softpaw?" she mewed, looking at her friend with surprise.

"Miragepaw? What are you doing here? Medicine cats never come on attacks," Softpaw mewed, pulling away from her friend, her stomach bleeding slightly.

"Bloodstar ordered it, she said I was to steal the herbs," Miragepaw mewed back, flinching at her friend's wounds. It was her fault that happened. If she knew it was her friend, she would have never attack. Rather she got hurt by a friend then hurt one.

"But why, it's the middle of Greenleaf, you should have plenty!" the other cat mewed.

"Well, I don't know why, but she ordered it," the silver apprentice mewed looking down.

"Anyway, you should leave, Sharpstar is ruthless," the other apprentice mewed looking back and forth, before resting her eyes on the Moorclan leader. Sharpstar had finally emerged, fighting both Swiftstream and Passionfire.

"But I… If I leave, I'll get in trouble," Miragepaw mewed, lying easily. She didn't want to leave yet and she had to see how things turned out.

"Fine, but you can't attack the herbs, if you stick with me, nobody will attack you," Softpaw mewed, letting out a little sigh. If it wasn't for the rumors about what happened in Nightclan, she would never have believed her. But cats thought Nightclan was evil, killing everyone within sight. After all, they were always after territory.

"Alright, I will," the silver apprentice mewed, turning to watch the fight.

As if that was all that mattered, the other cats stopped fighting. Everyone was watching Sharpstar fight the two cats. The battle was fairly even, one of the reasons she was accepted as leader was that Sharpstar was extremely skilled in battle. Even with a deputy and warrior against her, the dark brown she-cat could handle herself. When Swiftstream lunged, she blocked. If Passionfire trying to attack while she was occupied, she would kick dust into his face and spin to swipe at his neck.

For ten minutes, the battle went nowhere, but was amazing. Nobody was hurt, their skills so great that they would block every attack, or lessen it to where it caused next to no damage. But that couldn't last forever. Finally, Sharpstar got Swiftstream to the ground and prepared a killing blow, not even thinking to chase her off. The Moorclan leader truly was ruthless; she would kill anyone who fought her in battle, even if it broke the warrior code. Miragepaw flinched, she wanted to interfere, but that would only get her hurt, and her body didn't allow that. Yet, there was a cat brave enough to save the deputy. Passionfire tackled the leader over, forcing her to the ground. The big brown leader sunk her claws into his stomach, going deeper and deeper until blood soaked his fur. But she was vulnerable too. He quickly lowered his head and sunk his teeth into her neck and ripped away the delicate layer of flesh and letting her life blood flow out. Her claws dropped and her body drooped. Passionfire fell, dropping to the ground beside her, his strength exhausted.

"What are you doing?" Swiftstream mewed, rushing over to the black warrior. She nudged him gently, managing to get a small grunt out of him. "What's wrong with you? Risking your life to beat her. She has nine lives, you have one! What did you think you were, immortal?"

"I sort of did…" the tom said before going silent. Miragepaw felt her heart skip a beat. Had one of her clanmates died right in front of her? But then she noticed the faint breathing. He was alive. The Moorclan medicine cat noticed too, because he walked over and nudged Swiftstream way.

"He'll live, but he wouldn't be able to fight for a look while," the black tom mewed, turning to the clan. "For tonight he can't be moved. He'll have to rest here."

"We can't keep him here," mewed a white she-cat. "Sharpstar will kill him as soon as Starclan heals her wounds. Plus he just attacked our camp, why should we let him live?"

"Sharpstar's rule has made your cruel, Icestorm," Dreamclaw mewed calmly. "But, it's over now."

"But she has eight more lives," mewed Softpaw from beside Miragepaw.

"No, no she doesn't, the truth is-" Dreamclaw began before the clan became restless.

"He took all her lives at once, he's a monster!" one cat yelled out, though Miragepaw couldn't figure out who.

"He did not!" yowled Dreamclaw, and the clan silenced. Nobody would argue with a medicine cat here. "Sharpstar had only one life. She wasn't not respected by Starclan who say that she would do nothing but destroy the forest. Since I knew, she forced me to take an apprentice, and she was planning to kill me the moment Softpaw became a full medicine cat." Miragepaw felt her friend stiffen in horror. She hadn't known that her mentor's death could have been her paw. She had just been blinded by her own goals.

The clan was silent; their eyes opening to the horrors their leader had been doing to their clan. The elders were stick thin, the queens just as bad. Sharpstar didn't care about the past or future; she only cared about the present, and would even risk both those things to get her way. Of all the cats, the deputy, Brackenpalt, was the most horrified. But he was in charge and if he crumbled, so did the clan. Miragepaw noted as he straighten his back and let out a loud yowl. He was going to take charge of his broke clan.

"Cats of Moorclan!" he yowled to them. "Sharpstar was breaking the warrior code and so was justly punished. But these cats did break into our camp and attack us, so we owe them no favors. But we will allow this warrior to rest here for the night, until his wounds are healed enough for him to go to his camp." Nobody argued with the deputy, he was their leader now, and cats started to head back their dens. Miragepaw barely noticed her friend slip away, she was staring intently at her deputy, waiting for the order to leave. Swiftstream gave the new leader a small nod and turned away, flicking her tial for her cats to follow.

"We'll retrieve him tomorrow. Let's go home."

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Rosepaw rolled over in her nest, her eyes fluttering open. Today her brother and hopeful-future mate were off fighting Moorclan at their camp. A bitter taste came up in her throat and her face twisted into a look of rage. It wasn't fair. Even the medicine cat apprentice got to go, not to mention the ever so useless Duskpaw, and she was left at camp to do what? Feed the elders? The elders could all go and die for all she cared. They just ate prey and told useless stories that nobody really cared about. If she was clan leader, she would have long since gotten rid of them. Queens like her mother were okay, without kits, a clan would never thrive, but elders were just a waste of time.

Think of her mother reminded Rosepaw that she was supposed to bring prey to her mother as well as the elders. That was a duty she didn't mind. Her mother was a kind cat, and being around her made the apprentice feel a little better. Next to Passionfire, she was her favorite cat to be around. Getting out of her nest and heading to the nursery, she made sure to pick out a plump mouse. Her mother needed strength for kitting.

"Oh, how are you dear?" asked Sunpelt, looking at her daughter. The she-cat had already been pregnant for a moon and a half and was well on her way to giving birth. She could still walk and stand and all that stuff, but she was too far along to hunt and fight. Although she could get her own prey, Badgerfur didn't like her walking around, and had insisted that someone bring her fresh-kill everyday. Today, since she was the only apprentice in camp that was Rosepaw's job.

"I'm fine," she said, putting on convincing face.

"Oh, don't you lie to me," scolded Sunpelt lightly. "I'm your mother and I know when you're lying and I don't approve of such practices, young she-cat." Rosepaw flattened her ears out of false shame. Even though her mother knew some things about her, she knew nothing of how the brown apprentice really acted, which was a good thing. If she knew, she would ashamed of her daughter.

"I'm sorry mother. Here, I brought you a mouse. You should make sure to eat plenty," mewed Rosepaw, nudging the mouse towards her mother. The queen took the prey and devoured it, making her increased appetite clear to her daughter. Caring kits must be exhausting. The brown apprentice made sure to note that since she hoped to have a litter one day, with a certain black tom.

"Thanks," the queen mewed, getting up and heading out of nursery, surprising the little she-cat. "I'm going for a walk. Would you like to come?"

"No, I have to feed the elders," the apprentice mewed, letting out a little sigh. She'd much rather go with her mother then clean up after the stupid elders.

"Oh, too bad," Sunpelt said in a soft voice before walking off. Her daughter followed her a short distance, far enough to get some fresh moss before heading back to camp. But arriving back in the elder's den was quite a surprise.

The whole den was bathed in crimson, in the scarlet colour of revenge. All three elders had their throats ripped out and were laying around the den, their faces frozen in an eternal look of horror. Rosepaw's mind stopped, but something in her asked had she was able miss the sounds of a fight, but even that answer was clear. They were killed before they knew what was happening. They hadn't even had time to see this horrific and beauty crimson artwork. Then final Rosepaw's eyes rested on the other cat in the den. Crimson clung to their pelt as it did the others, but it wasn't theirs. In other words, they were the killer.

"Foxdung, I thought ever cat was out of the camp," the murder said, licking their shoulder carelessly. "Just when I thought I tied up all the loose end, a new one appears. I'm sorry, kit, but you'll have to die."

"But why?" Rosepaw asked, her voice in its true tone, a cold, evil tone that chilled even the murderer's heart.

"Well, I was going to say because you were a goodie-goodie like these three and would tell the clan what I did, but now I think we could make an arrangement, as long as you don't mind being my accomplice and helping me come up with a plan to trick the clan," the murder said, circling the brown apprentice, going so tightly that even some of crimson rubbed off on her.

"So, shall we say a badger killed them?" Rosepaw asked, her voice cold.

"No, a fox, I have a fox corpse prepared out in the forest. We'll say you killed it, but they'll never believe it if the scene doesn't look realistic…" the killer mewed, looking over Rosepaw with cruel eyes. The brown apprentice understood exactly what that meant a spoke up.

"You better get clawing me, so I'll look really badly hurt," the cruel apprentice mewed, causing the other cat to chuckle.

"Amazing. You're a much better accomplice then Sparrowsong ever was," mewed the killer, wrapping her tail around Rosepaw's neck. "Now stay still and this will only hurt a bit."

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Miragepaw walked near the back of patrol, returning triumphantly from their attack. Everyone had some sort of wound, whether it be physical, like Duskpaw's leg wound, or mental, like Miragepaw's horror at finding out that she was attacking her friend. Unlike on the way down, the patrol was chatting away, since they didn't need to hide anything now. However, the silver she-cat didn't feel like talking. She was too ashamed, not only of attacking her friend, but also for freezing in the battle. If she even opened her mouth, the other cats would start hazing her for being a chicken, whatever that was.

"Look, we're getting close to the camp!" mewed Duskpaw, trying to get her sister to talk to her. She didn't have many friends among the clan, Patchpaw was a little scared of her and Rosepaw was always calling her useless. Because of this, Miragepaw made sure to keep the relations between her and her sister strong, but it was hard to do when one was a medicine cat. Different duties made relationships hard, one of the reasons few medicine cats broke the code by getting mates.

Miragepaw ignored her sister and was about to slow her pace to get farther away from the other when she heard the sound of cat crying out for help. The whole patrol sped up, recognizing the voice as that of Rosepaw. When they got to her, she was on the ground, bleeding quite a bit. The whole camp stunk of fox, and Rosepaw continued to cry out.

"Tell me, " Swiftstream mewed, coming forward to nudge her apprentice. "Tell me what happened."

"A fox attacked! Sparrowsong, Tigerslash, Lionpelt! They're all dead!"

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**Please review everyone!**


	18. Silence

**This is probably the most depressing thing I have ever wrote. Do you know how hard it was for me to get through this chapter without saying 'It's too depressing, I need to roleplay to cheer my self up!' However, I go through it, and I'd appreciate if nobody mentions the crappiness of the angst. The next chapter will be better, but this one is mostly filler. Also, last chapter didn't get any review, despite being over four thousand words long. I hope this one gets reviews, but remember, even if it doesn't I will write. I'm not writing for you people, I'm writing because I want to. Also, with this chapter, we should reach forty thousand words. Ugh, this AN is far too long... Nobody even reads these. i think.  
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**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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The whole camp was silent, except for the occasional mutter of how they regretted not visiting the elders more and the wails of Swiftstream. The patrol had returned to the camp hours ago, but not a single cat had cared to stop Swiftstream's non-stop wailing. Normally, such a thing would be considered weakness and was frowned open by Nightclan, but nobody blamed her at the moment. One minute she'd been happily returning from a raid, the next both her parents were dead. Not even during the time of the Great Illness had a cat lost both parents at the same time. It was unfair. Every cat in that camp, at least that's how it seemed, understood that they couldn't understand the silver tabby's pain and out of that respect, wouldn't interfere. Or at least they thought she was run out of energy soon.

All three elder's had been laid out in the clear at the middle of that camp, in a straight line. Originally Sparrowsong had been in the middle, but Swiftstream soon fixed that, pulling the old medicine cat to the side and pushing her parent's corpses closer together. She wailed out how they should be together, and while a few cats fumed at her taking her own action, none of them put up a fuss. She was the deputy, out ranking them all, and she was grieving. Plus, what moron would have separated the bodies of two cats who were mates. That was just plain cruel. At least, those were the reasons every cat was telling themselves. The truth was no one wanted to deal with an angry Bloodstar. She had an unnatural fondness for the young she-cat, who had been her apprentice and almost always ended up going to the gatherings with her. Even though she was fully grown and could take care of herself, Bloodstar would scold and punish any cat that upset her deputy. Normally, under these conditions, a cat would become spoiled, but the leader's temper scared even the silver she-cat, so she tried to avoid getting other's upset.

The wailing final stopped when the clan leader announced it was time to share tongues with the elders one final time. It was disrespectful to wail while that was going on, the clan should be silent, listening to what others say and preparing their own statements. Since she'd been wailing just second ago, the deputy wasn't the first to reach her parents. Bloodstar was first, which no cat would interfere with since she was clan leader. She liked both Lionpelt and Tigerslash's pelts briefly, and spent much long on Sparrowsong. That was reasonable though, they were sisters. Although Sparrowsong choose to become a medicine cat and Bloodstar, Bloodfur then, was a warrior, the two stayed close. Many cats said that Starclan planned for the two to be leader and medicine cat from the time they were born, and made sure they were sisters for that reason.

Once the leader was done, Swiftstream pushed her way to the elder's corpses, forcing Sunpelt back, though she did feel pretty bad about that. Pushing a delicate queen was always a sin, but she was too upset to apologize at the moment. Besides, they were her family, except Sparrowsong, and it was her right to share tongues with them first. While she had a lot she wanted to say to them, she didn't want to sound weaker then she already seemed in front of the clan. How ironic that she would think about that as she groomed her dead parent's fur for the last time. She groomed their fur a little too long and she could feel the impatience behind her. As a tradition, in Nightclan they groomed the fur one at a time, making the moment personal between the living and dead cats. Most cats used it to apologies for past dead, or to confess secrets, but some used it for other purposes. Once Swiftstream finished with her parents, she gave Sparrowsong a quick lick and backed away, finally giving Sunpelt her chance.

The silver pelted deputy didn't pay much attention to the rest of her clan-mates sharing tongues with the bodies. They were of no interest to her. What her clan mates wanted her parents to know was none of her business. Really, it was no cat's business, but they listened anyway. Of course, every cat thought they were the only one doing it, except to the few who tried to see things from an outside point of view, like Swiftstream. And she knew she was right, since if she looked closely she could see her clanmates straining their ears and trying to make it look like they weren't. It was kind of funny, but she was still too depressed to make a point of this. If anything it made her feel worse, thinking of how her clanmates were sneaking into each other's personal lives.

Once every cat finished sharing tongues with the elder, the cats closest to the elders laid down around them. Swiftstream made sure to keep close to the clan leader. The blood coloured she-cat had been like a mother to her, and since her blood mother was dead, she expected her former mentor to comfort her. The clan leader didn't do anything, but my simply knowing she was there, Swiftstream felt better. That was the way that Bloodstar was, simply by existing, the whole clan felt safe, or at least that's what she thought.

The vigil began in silence, was held in silence, and ended in silence. As the sun soundlessly rose into the sky, the cats quietly mourned their elders. The cats who had stayed out for the elders were Swiftstream, Bloodstar, Quietheart, and Rosepaw. The deputy wondered why her apprentice choose to stay out as well, but it was probably because she was normally the apprentice who cared for the elders. Swiftstream didn't considered that a good enough reason to be sitting vigil for an elder, but Rosepaw was young and didn't understand the strength of bonds between cats yet. As she wondered this, the sun continued to go over the sky until it silently disappeared over horizon, though no cat could tell where that was because it was hidden my pine trees. The cats silently lifted the bodies and buried them outside the camp and waited for the silence to be broken, but it wasn't for a while, until Patchpaw spoke up.

"Shouldn't we go and get Passionfire, he's still in the Moorclan camp?" the black and white apprentice mewed, his voice strained with worry. The little tom cared far too much for his mentor, if Swiftstream had anything to say about it. The black furred tom would only end up hurting him; it was Passionfire's nature to need more than one mate at once. Before the Great Illness, he had many queens in the nursery, but they were all killed. Not he was looking for new mates, even searching through the apprentice's den.

"Why is he in the Moorclan camp?" Bloodstar asked in an unamused tone. Swiftstream had been too depressed to give a report, and none of the other warriors had been qualified to. The clan leader wouldn't even know that they won the battle or that Sharpstar had been killed. The silver furred deputy would explain that later, but retrieving Passionfire came first.

"He was badly injured and Dreamclaw told us he couldn't be moved. Brackenpelt agreed to let him stay the night," the deputy mewed, her voice hoarse. She'd wailed for a long time last night and after that, she had been silent for a long time. That was never good for her voice, but it would have been worse if she hadn't given it that rest.

"Brackenpelt? What about Sharpstar?" the blood coloured leader asked, only vaguely interested.

"She's dead," Swiftstream answered. Her leader just nodded and turned towards her den.

"Go and fetch him then," was all the leader mewed before disappearing from view. As if following her example, Swiftstream turned and left camp without another word. Of course, Patchpaw followed her, since she would need help carrying Passionfire. The tom was much bigger then her and she wasn't famed for exception strength. In fact, Swiftstream wasn't very strong at all. She was fast and clever, but that was all she really had going for her. Most of the cats in the clan could beat her in battle, which is strange since she is deputy, but she was still chosen as deputy, and since she was so popular among the clan, no cat objected. Still, it meant in battle, she would have to take on apprentices and the like. When she tried to fight Sharpstar, she was really over doing it. Of course Passionfire had to bail her out. Now that she thought about it, she felt awful, but she couldn't show it. Just like a clan leader, a deputy always had to be strong, and Patchpaw was with her right then.

The two cats walked silently to the boarder. It wasn't a patrol, so that wasn't needed, but they still did. Swiftstream really just didn't want to talk, her throat was sore and she was very depressed. She wasn't sure why the apprentice didn't speak, but it clearly had to do with her. Maybe he disliked her, maybe he felt bad for her, or maybe this whole patrol was awkward for him. Swiftstream never went on a patrol with his mentor, so she never patrolled with him. This was the first time, except when they were heading to battle, that they had traveled together, let alone without other cats. This made the walk seem even longer, plus their grumbling stomachs, Patchpaw's especially since he haven't eaten since the day before the battle. It was almost unbearable, and just as Swiftstream was about to break down, they reached the boarder.

"What is Starclan's name took you guys so long?" yowled a big tabby tom, who Swiftstream remembered as Beastclaw. From what she had heard, his name fitted both his appearance and temperament. Beside him sat a small white a ginger she-cat who smelled like herbs. The medicine cat apprentice? She couldn't remember Moorclan ever announcing having one of those, but the last gathering was so hectic she might have missed it. Yes, that would fit the age the she-cat looked. When the silver deputy pondered this over, the tabby tom seemed to get even more upset and was about to snap at them for something or another when the she-cat silenced him.

"We were worried you wouldn't come to pick up your clan mate, we've been here since sun-high," the ginger and white she-cat mewed, her voice rather sweet. "I guess the rumors about your clan hunting and fighting at night were true."

"It's not that, something came up," the silver she-cat mewed to preserve their secret. The rumors alone were dangerous. Their night time schedule was one of the clan's greatest secrets. To let another clan find that out could put the whole clan in danger.

"A fox came into our camp and killed our elders!" Patchpaw exclaimed, earning him a harsh glare from the deputy. That was a clan issue with had weakened them, and he told it to a clan that attacked them, not once, but twice. She was pretty sure the medicine cat wouldn't say anything about it, but Beastclaw was quite impulsive and known for his love of battles. That cat was always Eagleswoop's opponent, and since he could hold his own against her, he was no cat to be taken lightly. For telling me this, Patchpaw was going to have to be punished when they got back to camp.

"I see," the ginger and white she-cat mewed. "That would explain why you took so long to get here. We grieve for your lose." With that the little she-cat bowed her head respectfully, handling the situation like a professional. "Oh, and don't worry, we won't tell Brackenpelt, well he should be Brackenstar soon. But no matter what his name is, we won't tell him, right Beastclaw?"

"Why woul-" he began but the she-cat nudged him in the side and he stopped. "Fine, we won't tell. Happy?" Swiftstream could barely contain her laughter. For a cat who had a fierce reputation, he was easy for the ginger and white she-cat to push around. Still, he was acting very childish, and he looked pretty upset, so they must be on good terms. Either that or he feared upsetting the medicine cat apprentice. That could get pretty nasty. Medicine cats weren't respected for nothing. Every cat heard the tale of Dovewing, the medicine cat who poisoned her own clan mates and refused to train an apprentice, ruling her clan by fear of getting an injury. It was only from the help of another clan's medicine cat that they were able to rid themselves of her. Ever since her days, leaders were careful to listen to their medicine cat.

"Thank you for your kindness. Could you please show us to our clan-mate now?" Swiftstream asked politely. The ginger and white she-cat nodded, and walked away. The Nightclan cats would have followed but Beastclaw gave them a look that warned them not to move. A few minutes later, the medicine cat apprentice came back, dragging Passionfire. The little she-cat seemed to be struggling as she crossed the boarder, probably because she wasn't as strong as even a normal apprentice. Once she crossed the boarder, she put him down.

"Thank you for your kindness. We won't ask anything more from you," Swiftstream mewed calmly, grabbing her clan mate and pulling him farther from the boarder.

"Alright, have a good day, or in your case, night," the little she-cat mewed before padding away. "Oh, and don't drag him too much, his stomach is still badly injured." With that, both cats raced away, leaving the Nightclan cats on their own boarder.

"Well, you finally came to pick me up," Passionfire mewed from in front of the two. "My cute little Patchpaw and lovely Swiftstream."

"You act like you knew we would be the ones to pick you up," Patchpaw mewed in surprise.

"Well of course, you both love me," the tom said, happily.

"Shut up, right now," Swiftstream mewed turning away. "Patchpaw, you carry him." The black and white tom did as ordered and they began moving through the woods again, silent as ever. Though Passionfire seemed to want to talk, the moons open moons of silent patrols and the awkward silence hanging around them like cloud of mist made it difficult to think up something to say, a fact Swiftstream was happy about. She could see it now, him asking what was up, and she would have to tell him, then she knew she couldn't stay composed. She would wail again, and Passionfire was the cat she definitely didn't want to see her wailing away.

Then a scent crossed their paths, fresh, untainted, as if it's carrier had just come into the area. The deputy scrunched up her nose and let out a quite hiss. This was the worst time for this to happen. If they had been close to boarder, she might have left it, but the scent was going towards camp. Rushing forward, they followed the rogue's trail, the whole things stained with blood. Good, the cat was injured. They wouldn't be able to fight back very well.

Once they arrived, they were surprised to see two cats. Had they been more focused, they would have noticed the difference in scent, but it was very faint. These cats must stick together everywhere. The silver furred deputy raised her tail and slammed it down, a special Nightclan symbol for stay back. The black and white apprentice followed order and kept himself and Passionfire back. Swiftstream crept forward, her eyes locked on the two white rogues. Her key element here was surprise. But she was tried, and easily made mistakes. Without realizing it, she stepped on a twig, alerting the female rogue. The she-cat arched her back, turned to Swiftstream and lept, used the tree behind Swiftstream as a platform, jumped of it and pinned her without so much as a struggle. She was good.

"Why were you creeping up on us?" the white rogue said, baring her fangs at Swiftstream's neck, positioned on her back so the deputy couldn't move.

"Why are you on Nightclan territory?" the silver tabby snapped back at her. The white she-cat got a surprised expression and got off the deputy, surprising her. But the biggest surprise was when the white furred she-cat spoke.

"Nightclan! That's great. Listen, I need your help."

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**I've been waiting forever to introduce these two characters! Anyway, review please?**

**P.S. If you want to enter anymore cats, do it now. After the next chapter, I'll be closing the Create A Cat section of the story. Rogues will become warriors, so feel free to enter plenty of those. Send in both a rogue and warrior name.  
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	19. Starvation

**This chapter is brought to you my the letter 's'**

**Just kidding. Anyway, the Create A cat section is officially over. Ina few minutes, i'll upload an updated list of all the cats, so you see who joined each clan.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little.**

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"Why would I help the cat who just pinned me down?" the pretty silver tabby hissed, making the white furred rogue roll her eyes. If she willed it, the other cat would be dead, and she could easily finish off the other two she brought with her. The stupid clan cat thought she didn't notice them, but the rogue wouldn't tell her. It would be a fun surprise. Then again, she couldn't use it if she still wanted this cat's help. Foxdung, and it would be so much fun too.

"I thought you clan cats were all about saving lives. My brother is really badly hurt and he needs help, or he'll die," the white furred rogue tried to explain, but the silver she-cat ignored her. How annoying. She'd heard that some clan cats were quite rude, but she didn't expect to run into those ones. Where were the cats who would accept any rogue or loner who was injured or in need of help? Every rogue or loner in the area knew about that and always went to the clans when they were badly injured. Some even joined. Maybe that was a different clan though. The white rogue remembered how the cats of the fast clan chased her and her brother of, tooth and claw. Hopefully this clan wasn't as vicious.

"You're not part of our clan, therefore not our problem," the silver tabby mewed. The white furred rogue suddenly felt the need to hit her. Although she was raised to fight and kill, she did respect life and one who would careless let the life's flame of another burn out deserved a beating. But doing that would only get her brother killed fast. The silver tabby might be weak, but the other two might not be. She couldn't risk one getting past her and killing her brother.

"Please, I'll do anything," she mewed, crouching down and dipping her head, a position her body automatically tensed in. If she was like this, it would be simple for an enemy to get in a fatal attack. But right now, it made her seem less likely to kill them. If weakness is what is taken to keep her brother alive, she would be weak. If that didn't work, she would be strong. If that didn't work, she'd take her chances looking for another clan to save her brother. But that last plan had little hope of success, since she was sure the other clans were quite far away.

"You're not a part of our clan, so we're not helping you!" the clan cat hissed, using the same worn out theory as the last time. But unlike the last time she spoke, the rogue looked her in the eye and saw what she really thought. Fear, concern and pity filled the gaze, and contrary to the voice or the words, the clan cat felt no rage or arrogance. For some reason, she believed she must act tough, and would willingly help the rogue, if she had a good enough reason that would keep her from getting in trouble. Or, at least, that was what the white furred she-cat saw. While she took pride in her great skill at being able to read cats eyes, she wasn't always right. Still, she would trust her prediction, and came up with a good reason.

"Then let us join," she mewed forcefully, hoping to convince the other she-cat. The silver tabby looked shocked. Clearly, this wasn't the idea she expected.

"I don't get to make those decisions," the silver tabby mewed, getting up and backing away from the rogue.

"Then take me to a cat who can," the white rogue mewed. The silver she-cat opened her mouth several time to try and say something, but couldn't come up with any good ideas. Finally, she narrowed her eyes and nodded, turning around and going back to where the white she-cat knew her companions were. It was too dark to see them, but they sure smelled strongly. Although the rogue had met few clan cats before, she could tell which ones belonged to the same clans, even if she didn't know which clan that was.

"Bring your brother and follow us to camp. We can't guarantee Bloodstar will accept this reason, but it's worth a try," the clan cat mewed, out of sight but still within ear shot. Nodding to this, though she couldn't be seen, the rogue picked up her brother and followed them. A trip which normally would not be too long took the she-cat quite a while; the stars had changed positions quite a bit. But this was because she had to move extremely slowly to prevent the sloppily applied cobwebs from ripping away, allowing the last of her brother's blood to spill out on the ground. The other cats slowed down for her, but didn't say anything. The young tom with black and white fur kept staring, and the other one looked at her with the eyes of a flirt. The white furred rogue wasn't unattractive. She'd had plenty of males padding after her before, though she only ever liked one back, and she knew when a cat was interested. But all he seemed to like was her looks, and not her personality, which he had never seen before. She might amuse him a bit by flirting back, but she had no interest in should a greedy tom. She'd also seen him give the same looks to the silver furred she-cat.

Finally, the five cats arrived at the camp. It was big clearing, surrounded by pine trees and walls of sticks, with only a thin tunnel to grant access. The rogue scouted the area, seeing only a few places where the cats could sleep. How did they all manage to sleep there? Of course, she wasn't used to having many cats sharing a nest. As a rogue, she had her own nest, and the only cats she would ever share it with would be her mate and kits, if she ever had any of those. Suddenly, much to the white she-cat's surprise, cat started to pour of out the dens, just few though. Most cats were out hunting or patrolling.

One of the cats that came forward, a very pale silver she-cat, who judging by her size, was only about five moons, came over and started sniffing the two wounded cats. Rather young for a Fixer, the term the white furred rogue used for a cat who healed others. Another cat came out of the same den, this time a black furred tom, small like the female, but she was sure he wasn't young, well, at least not that young, he was at least a whole cycle old. Another fixer it seemed. This one grabbed her brother and dragged him towards the den. The little silver she-cat tried to do the same to narcissistic tom, but she couldn't budge him.

"Sorry, Miragepaw, I'm too heavy for you. But I'm sure my lovely Swiftstream will help me out," he said, looking at the weak silver tabby. She gave him a harsh glare and walked away, probably to get their leader. The large black tom gave the young Fixer a confused look, and she glared at him too.

"Don't bother her today, okay? She's been up all night and…" she trailed off, a look of sadness coming to her eyes. "Last night, during the battle, a fox came into the camp. Rosepaw managed to kill it before it got to the nursery, but the damage was done. It killed both her parent and Sparrowsong." The white rogue looked down, ashamed at thinking the other cat was weak. She was just tired and depressed. The fact the rogue hadn't noticed was a sign of strength. But, no matter how ashamed the she-cat was, that was nothing compared to the black furred tom. His face twisted into an expression of horror and he attempted to get, up, only to have the little she-cat, the Fixer, keep him back.

"You need to rest, Passionfire, and she doesn't need you to reopen wounds. Got it?" the young she-cat, who the tom had called Miragepaw, mewed before turning and heading to the same den she came from. "Oh, and Patchpaw, I need you to carry him in. He's way too heavy for me." The black and white tom who had been carrying the big tom, who she knew was called Passionfire. The name fitted him, as did the name of the black and white tom. However, they had strange name, consisting of two parts. She'd never heard names like that before, but maybe that was part of being a clan cat. Once she finished thinking this, the white furred rogue went to follow the three cats only to have a blood coloured she-cat get in her way. At first, she felt her body prepare to attack, but the silver tabby he had first met was right behind her, so she stopped. This must be there leader. What had the silver cat called her, Bleedstar? Sounded about right.

"So, you're the rogue who wanted the join the clan," the leader mewed, looking over the rogue. It made her feel exposed, seeing the she-cat carefully analyze every single part of her. The white furred rogue had to keep her fur from rising. It sort of made her feel like a piece of fresh-kill. As this inspection went one, she barely noticed the leader was still speaking. "…doesn't look so strong, Swiftstream. Maybe you just had your guard down. I'm always warning you about doing that."

"I didn't have my guard down. She just took me by surprise. She used some weird technique to jump off a tree to get behind me and pin me," the silver tabby mewed, her voice strained. The rogue didn't bother to wonder why. These things just happened. But while it was strained it also carried a slight tone of shame. Same from being beaten by an outsider, the rogue bet. If a random cat came up to her and kicked her tail, she would be pretty pissed too.

"Fine, you weren't slacking off, just very tired, and the she-cat tricked you. But that doesn't matter. You are still clan deputy, and might someday become leader. You can't afford to be tricked or be sleepy. But, I'm not going to scold you anymore. If you learn, you learn. If you don't, the clan is screw. I can't change how you are," the leader mewed. The rogue felt a little ignored at this, but soon the conversation turned to her again. "So, you want to join the clan. You know we don't let in weaklings."

"If I were a weakling, I wouldn't have been able to drag my brother all the way across Cowclan territory and not get killed," the white furred cat mewed, getting surprised looks from the other two she-cats. What had she said?

"Cowclan?" asked the silver furred cat, known as Swiftstream.

"Wait, no, they were Mooclan, but that' the sound a cow makes so-" she mewed, but she never finished since the other two cats burst into laughter. Okay, what had she said this time?

"Mooclan? That's it, next time we insult them, we call them that, or Cowclan," the deputy said, as the leader recomposed herself. "You see, they're an enemy clan, called Moorclan. And well, no cat has ever mistaken their name like that before. But, what's a cow?"

"It's an animal that twolegs keep. They make the 'moo' noise and are huge, with white and black fur, like that cat Patchpaw," the rogue explained, only amusing the deputy more. But the leader didn't look to please. The white she-cat guessed she didn't like her 'deputy', which she assumed was her heir, to goof off. The rogue didn't care though, the pure she-cat had just lost her parents for the spirit's sake.

"Anyway," the leader mewed, causing the deputy to look a shamed. "To business, even if you beat the weaklings of Moorclan, you still might not be suited for the life of a Nightclan cat. That's why I've devised three tests for you. If you pass them all, but barely, you can stay. If you pass the one extremely well, pass another with moderate skill, and fail the last one, you can stay. If you fail two, however or do moderately on two and fail the last, you will be kicked out. And you brother will be too, once he's good enough to walk. If you pass, though, he can stay as well. You take them for both of you."

"Thank you Bleedstar-"

"Bloodstar."

"Thank you Bloodstar. When will the first test begin?" the white furred rogue mewed, dipping her head.

"Right now. Follow me to my den. Swiftstream, stay out," Bloodstar mewed, going to her den. The rogue followed her, looking at the place with surprise. It was too big for just one cat. But, she guessed because Bloodstar was clan leader, she was expected to have some luxuries.

"Alright, rogue. I want to know about you. I won't let a cat I know nothing about join my clan. For all I know, you could have been hired by Treeclan to spy on us. Every cat knows that those tree climbing sons of badgers will take in any tongue that crosses their paths. I bet they took you two in and asked you to do this as a favor," the leader snarled, looking down at the rogue, who was only thinking about how she should have gone to that clan instead. Oh, and that the leader has really bad breathe. "Are you even listening?"

"Yes, but I was not from that clan. If you want to hear my story, I'll tell you," the white furred rogue mewed, trying not to scrunch her nose up from the smell.

"Then tell me, and if I don't believe it, you out, even if you do pass the other tests," Bloodstar hissed out.

"Alright, but it's not very interesting. I was born in a rogue group, it had no name," the rogue began; a wave nostalgia flying over her. "We didn't have ranks, except for the leaders, who we call the masters, and the healers, who we called fixers. The masters were the three females. They formed the group and their word was law. My grandmother was one of them. If one of the masters died, I'd become the new one. Well, me or Grass, since we were the oldest of our families. We always tried to settle who should become the new master by fighting, and by doing that, we spilt the group in two. When the masters found out, we and our closest followers were banished. We traveled together for a while, but on the edge of Co- Moorclan territory she attacked me. The group spilt up and my brother was badly injured. I dragged him looking for a clan to save us, and tadah, here we are."

"Hmm, seem- Who were the masters?" she mewed loudly, trying to trick the she-cat.

"The oldest was Moon, my great grandmother. Then there was Scratch, the middle sister, by the way, their sisters. Then Grass's grandmother, Moon," the rogue said cockily, without a flaw. She wasn't going to be tricked so easily.

"The ones who were banished?" the leader quizzed.

"Me, Joker, that's my brother, Hunter and Hog on my side, while Grass had Red, Charcoal and Light on her side," the white she-cat said, her voice as cocky as ever.

"Fine, you pass this test, but don't think the next one will be so easy. Go see your brother while I get it prepared," the leader mewed grumpily. The rogue kept her cocky look all the way to the Fixer's den, where it was replaced by a look of joy. Her sloppily done work was fixed up with a new bunch of cobwebs. It also has a strange mix of some sort of herbs on it; she didn't know herbs that well so it was hard for her to tell which ones they were. The small silver Fixer was working on Passionfire while the older one was sorting through some herbs.

"Miragepaw, did you remember to give the rogue the herbs for blood loss?" the black furred tom mewed.

"Yes, yes," the silver apprentice mewed, her voice that of a cat mooning over someone. Ah, the classical love for a co-worker. The rogue knew how that felt, and how it felt to have love out of reach. Where she came from, Fixers couldn't have mates if they were female. Letting out a sigh for the silver she-cat's sake, everyone became aware of her presence. The silver she-cat turn to her first, but it was the male Fixer who spoke.

"Ah, you're the she-cat who came here with this tom, right?" he mewed, though the question seemed to be rhetorical because he didn't stop talking long enough for the rogue to get a word in. "He's lucky you go him here when you did. With enough herbs, he should be able to travel by the full moon. But no fights. The new skin will tear open if he fights." Yep, this tom was defiantly a Fixer. He spoke to her like she was a kit and made her feel stupid. However, at the same time, she felt so much better.

"Thank you so much. I'm surprised you treated him even though he wasn't part of your clan," the rogue said, thinking of how the deputy said they didn't treat cats from outside their clan.

"I'm a medicine cat. If you're sick, I fix it. It doesn't matter which clan you or from, or if you don't even come from one. No leader or deputy will ever tell me who I can or can't heal. Tell have no right, after all," the tom mewed, a genuine look of kindness in his eyes. The rogue didn't see eyes like that often. If she wasn't already in love, she would pad after him in second.

"I-" she began before she was interrupted by a cat standing in the entrance to the den.

"Rogue, your next test is ready. Hurry up and get out here to face it," Bloodstar yowled. The white furred she-cat dipped her head before racing out of the den. Darn leaders for being able to get away with being rude. Or maybe it was just a show to drive away lazy cats. Who knew, could really be a kitty-pet with a bizarre fondness for the wild.

If she had been a kitty-pet, she would have just died of a heart attack. Beside Bloodstar, sat the biggest cat the rogue had ever seen. Only the scent told her the cat was female, otherwise she looked like a tom. If this cat had a bit of fat on her, she wouldn't be nearly as scary as she was with her massive muscles. At that moment, the rogue realized the leader hated her.

"Rogue, this is Eagleswoop. Eagleswoop, this is a rogue," the leader mewed.

"I have a name you know."

"This rogue wishes to join our clan. But Nightclan doesn't take in weak cats, unlike those stupid pieces of foxdung in Treeclan," the leader mewed, but the rogue noticed a flicker of doubt at the end, and something else that she couldn't quite put her paw on. "So, I gave her three tests. The first was her back-story, which I now know. The second is this. She must fight Eagleswoop."

"You just really hate me don't you," the rogue said with and unamused look on her face.

"Fight until I tell you to stop. Claws unsheathed," the leader mewed stepping out of the way. As if that was a sign, the big tabby sprung. Swiftly moving the rogue dodged to the side. It seemed the she-cat traded speed for strength. As she thought this the she-cat sprung again, and the rogue did too, though slightly to the side so she could claw the clan cat's side. The move was successful, and the big tabby hissed and flinched when they reached the ground. The rogue was beyond outclassed in strength, but she had speed and surprise on her side.

For the second round of the fight, the white furred she-cat attacked first. She ran a the other cat, sipping of her feet at the end and skidding under Eagleswoop's belly and delivering a large scratch. The rogue turned to she-cat expecting her to surrender them, but she was quite surprised to see the big tabby was still raring to go. She's never seen a cat continue to fight with their belly spilt open like that. Didn't she know it could be fatal if she moved too much? The rogue guessed not.

Eagleswoop charged at her and the rogue took off a full speed run. She could hear the leader jeering at her for being a coward, but if they fought in the same style, she would know better, any cat that had fought her in the past, including the silver tabby, would know better. While the leader was yelling, so was the deputy, telling Eagleswoop not to follow, that it was trap, but the big tabby wasn't listening. Like a bull, she charged, not even able to see the trap. When they reached a large stone, the rogue sprung into action.

Once she was little past the tone, she turned around and leapt over the tabby's head. The big she-cat moved to swipe her just a moment too late and was in a very vulnerable passion. Has Joker been here, this would be a double corner, where she attacked from behind, and he attacked up front, finishing the fight swiftly, but this time she was alone, but it still worked. The white she-cat used the stone as a spring board to change directions and hit the big tabby from behind. Off balance, the she-cat fell in an awkward position. With the she-cat struggling to get up, the rogue shifted her position and prepared to do a finishing blow. Raising her head she was about to sink her teeth into the back of the tabby's neck when a voice rose up.

"Stop!" yowled the leader and deputy at the same time, but pulled their heads back and looked at each other shocked. Only the leader was permitted to say more. "That's enough. You passed with flying colours. Which mean you can join the clan." With that, the rogue got off the she-cat moving a little while away. The silver furred Fixer, er, medicine cat, who had been watching the fight, rushed over to the huge she-cat, inspecting the wound.

"You mean you really are going to let me join?" the white furred she-cat asked.

"What gave you the idea I wasn't? We need more cats," the leader mewed in a kind voice, beginning to head to her den before stopping and looking at the she-cat. "Also, that fighting style of yours is extremely interesting. It would be good in this territory, and Treeclan's too." This left the rogue speechless. A moment ago, she thought the leader hated, and now she was being quite civil. As if seeing her shock, the silver furred deputy explained.

"We're Nightclan, tough on the outside, kind on the inside. Now your sort of one of us, and Bloodstar acknowledges that. She showed you some kindness and hope other's follow suit," the deputy mewed. Now excuse me, I'm got to catch some sleep. I haven't had any for a while." With that, the deputy headed off to the biggest den. She wondered who exactly slept there.

"That's the warrior's den," came a gruff voice, and when she turned, the rogue saw it was that of the huge tabby she almost killed. "Most of the cats sleep there, unless they are with kits, kit, in train, the leader, an elder, or the medicine cat."

"Oh, thanks," the white furred she-cat mewed, feeling awkward speaking to a cat who she almost killed.

"By the way, nice fighting. I haven't lost in moons; will you tell me your name? I'd like to formally know the cat that beat me," the big tabby mewed.

"Me? My name is Starvation. But you can call me Starve."

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**Review please.**


	20. Updated Allegiances

**Okay, here's the updates allegiances. If I missed any cats, some one tell me quickly, cause I'll fix that right away. Thsi will probably be the last one of these I make.**

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Nightclan**

Leader: Bloodstar – dark russet she-cat with pale blue eyes

Deputy: Swiftstream - pretty pale silver tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes Apprentice: Rosepaw

Medicine Cat: Quietheart- small black tom with amber eyes Apprentice: Miragepaw

Warriors: Passionfire – large black tom with amber eyes Apprentice: Patchpaw

Rabbitleap – tiny brown tom

Moondance – very pale silver tom with green eyes

Badgerfur – black and white tom cat

Eagleswoop – very large tabby she-cat with amber eyes Apprentice: Duskpaw

Starvation - slim white she-cat

Joker - big white tom

Midnightsky – black tom cat with dark blue eyes

Apprentices: Patchpaw – black and white tom

Rosepaw – light brown she-cat

Miragepaw - very pale silver she-cat with light blue eyes.

Duskpaw – very dark grey she-cat with green eyes.

Queens: Sunpelt - pale ginger she-cat

Elders: None

Kits: None

**Moorclan**

Leader: Brackenstar – large tabby tom Apprentice: Aquapaw

Deputy: Heathersong – black she-cat with grey paws and heather coloured eyes

Medicine Cat: Dreamclaw – thin golden tabby tom cat with blue eyes Apprentice: Softpaw

Warriors: Frozenleaf – white she-cat with black spots and blue eyes Apprentice: Lightpaw

Splashspots – grey she-cat with black spots and paws and yellow green eyes

Rushclaw – Black tom with white stripes Apprentice: Cedarpaw

Beastclaw - large tabby tom with amber eyes

Grass - little tabby she-cat with green eyes

Charcoal - small black tom with golden eyes

Claw - massive dark brown tabby tom with broad shoulders and leafy green eyes.

Apprentices: Cedarpaw - deep brown tom

Lightpaw - white she-cat

Aquapaw – blue-grey she-cat with white spots and paws. Has grey eyes.

Lightpaw – light ginger she-cat with darker paws and yellow orange eyes.

Softpaw – white she-cat with ginger spots and light blue eyes.

Queens: Icestorm - white she-cat with dark blue eyes

Elders: Frailpelt - dusty brown she-cat

Dawneyes - tabby she-cat. Blind.

Red - dark ginger tom, blind.

Kits: None

**Rainclan**

Leader: Sandstar – pale ginger she-cat with deep brown eyes

Deputy: Hawkclaw- dark brown tom with sharp amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Dustcloud- long furred brown she-cat with a very long tail

Warriors: Firefur - flame coloured tom with green eyes Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Snowfoot - grey tom with white paws Apprentice: Breezepaw

Foxclaw – a black and brown she-cat

Gingerclaw – a ginger tom

Apprentices: Breezepaw - pale tabby tom

Cloudpaw - pale grey she-cat

Queens: Darkmoon - dark tabby she-cat with very dark blue eyes. Expecting kits.

Lilysong - a small pale ginger tabby with dark amber eyes

Elders: Stormwind - dark grey tom with lighter grey stripe, white paws and yellow eyes. Blind.

Kits: Storm - stormy-grey tom with blue eyes

Ash - dark grey tom with pale blue eyes

Rose - creamy-red she-kit with pale blue eyes

**Treeclan**

Leader: Darkstar – silver tabby with dark green eyes

Deputy: Shrewfur- small light brown tom with deep amber eyes Apprentice: Sunpaw

Medicine Cat: Larkwing- pale tabby she-cat

Warriors: Leaf-fall – tabby she-cat with green eyes Apprentice: Nightpaw

Wildpelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with dark blue eyes

Scarshadow - smokey black tom Apprentice: Wolfpaw

Wilyfang - light grey tom with white paws

Darkclaw - black and brown she-cat

Jay - grey tom with grey fur and on blueish paw

Apprentices: Wolfpaw - large grey tom

Nightpaw - black she-cat

Sunpaw - golden tabby tom

Queens: Lexi - ginger she-cat with darker paws and green eyes

Elders: Coldheart - stone grey she-cat with ice blue eyes

Kits: Holly - black she-cat with green eys and one redish paw

Leaf - light brown tabby she-cat

Cloud - white and grey tabby tom

Tadpole - dappled grey tabby with yellow eyes

**Cats Outside the Clans**

Ashe - calico she-cat

Birch - silver tom


	21. Doll

**Sorry it took so long again. as the chapters get longer, so does the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I own very little  
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"Are you sure?" Miragepaw mewed, her paws firmly planted outside the medicine cat's den. The way she spoke with a rather cold voice, as if what she had been asking was serious business, but anyone who knew what she was talking about would know she was seriously over reacting. The question she had been asking was the same one she had been asking all day, and although she got her answer many times, she continued to double, triple and quadruple check her answer. In fact, she had gotten a reply more than thirty times, and it was barely dawn. Of course, tonight was half-moon and she had to wake up very early, but still, she had made 'effective' use of her time.

"Yes, I'm sure!" snapped her normally calm mentor. Although he gave her direct orders to get out of his den, she continued to stand in the entrance, blocking it from any other cat who wanted to get in, and yowl the same question to him. Irritation flow out of the den like waves, which was the one thing that kept his apprentice from breaking her word. He may be a medicine cat, but he was still a clan cat. He had claws and he could use them. Miragepaw hadn't had any battle training yet, and if her mentor really wanted to hurt her, he could, and although he was nice to her most of the time, she wasn't sure that would be the case when she was being such a brat.

"If this is about what Badgerfur said-" she began, only to get interrupted by her mentor's hiss. As he made that sound, the small black tom emerged from the den. Although to a normal cat, he wouldn't b e able to tower over then, his apprentice was tiny. In caparison to her, he was as big as Eagleswoop was to a normal warrior, and despite how well she knew him, the young she-cat couldn't help but have her heart jump up her throat out of fear. The smouldering amber eyes made her flinch, and she backed away.

"You're really gonna get it this time," mewed an amused Starvation from her place beside the silver furred apprentice. The former rogue had also been kicked out of the den for a similar reason. She kept asking about how her brother was doing, how long it would take him to heal, when he was allowed to hunt, what she could do to help, and never seemed to run out of things to talk about. With all her constant chattering, she was really getting in their way, and that wasn't even mentioning all the herbs she had ruined. Even kits had enough sense not to eat herbs they found lying around the medicine cats den, but apparently Starvation didn't. She had eaten quite few poppy seeds and had passed out in the middle of their den. Ever since then, the two medicine cats only permitted her in the den for a little while each day, and during those times she had to keep quiet and was under their supervision. But that didn't stop her from waiting outside the den from sunset to sunrise, when she wasn't patrolling.

"Mouth, closed," growled out Quietheart, his eyes slipping from his apprentice for only an instance. His glare didn't affect the white she-cat at all; in fact she even smirked a little. But that didn't matter to him, for soon his gaze went back to his apprentice. "What Badgerfur said, though it was completely correct, is not the reason I'm not going to Star Stone tonight. The reason I'm not going is because we have too many injured cats. Passionfire, Joker, Rosepaw, and don't forget how close Sunpelt is to kitting. She has a history of giving birth to her litters early, and if I left the camp, that might cost her and her kits their lives. Now, you're going to stop acting like a kit and go to Star Stone without me."

"Oh, by the way, speaking of Joker-"

"Don't you have hunting to do?" the two medicine cats hissed at the former rogue at the same time.

"Well, about that..." the former rogue mewed, looking away guiltily. Miragepaw narrowed her eyes in disappointment. The white she-cat had taken Eagleswoop's place as the worst hunter in the clan, more likely to scare away prey then catch anything. Though she looked like she was built for speed and stealth, well not her pelt, but her body. However, she was used to a much different territory and due to that she didn't know their hunting techniques and was used to having softer ground to soften the sound of her paw steps. Because of this, the other cats refused to hunt with her, which meant more time for her to bug the medicine cats.

"Starvation, just go talk to your brother..." Quietheart mewed, rolling his eyes. The white furred she-cat walked past him, rushing into the den without another word. The two medicine cats, who previously had been arguing, let their shoulders slump in mutual relief. Starvation wasn't a bad cat, but she was a nuisance. Hopefully when her brother got out of the medicine cat's den, she would stop bugging them, but then again, she would probably only stay that long. She was truly a rogue after all; loyalty wasn't in her blood like it was all the other cats in the clan.

"Now that she's gone," the black furred medicine cat mewed, looking at his apprentice. He was much calmer now, and didn't seem to be in the mood for scolding at the moment. "I need you to calm down. Normally, I would be the one going, and you staying in camp, but you don't know how to help a cat give birth yet, and even though I'm sure she could handle it by herself, cats did give birth before there were medicine cats, I'm not going to abandon my duty. But you can still go to Star Stone, I can handle things here. This moon it's your job to interpret the signs from our warrior ancestors."

"But," the little silver apprentice mewed, her expression full of panic. She was an apprentice who had only been training for two moons, if anything, she shouldn't be going to Star Stone at all, let alone by herself. The little she-cat's expression made this opinion clear to her mentor who tapped her on the shoulder with his tail.

"You'll do fine. Besides, we probably won't get any important messages from Starclan. Things are settling down, Moorclan's stopped attacking, Rabbitleap has been punished, and the clan is getting bigger. Soon, we'll be like we used to be, so calm down," her mentor said in a calming voice, silencing all the little she-cat's fears. "Now you better get going. You don't want to be late." The pale silver she-cat backed up a few steps, looking nervous before turning around and rushing out of camp.

"Do you remember the way?" yelled the medicine cat as his mentor raced away.

"Yes!" his apprentice replied getting farther and farther away from Quietheart. He let out anyone cry after that, and though she couldn't hear the specifics, she heard him say something about asking directions if she forgot the way. The she-cat rolled her eyes and slowed her pace; she didn't have the energy to run the whole way. Sometimes her mentor, for lack of a better word, mothered her. Never let her take on big responsibilities, always soften the work load. In fact, he rarely even let her gather herbs on her own. Maybe he shouldn't be a mentor yet, if he couldn't stop treating her like a kit.

Moving past the meeting stump, she felt s light twinge of joy. If she kept going this direction, she couldn't possibly get lost. Of course she really could, but by some bit of luck, she managed to keep going directly straight, finding the boarder between Moorclan and Treeclan. As she reached the area where she first met the other medicine cats, she waited. The rest of the way was sort blurry to her, she had been chatting with her new friend the whole way. At that thought, she felt her fur fluff up and she began licking it to keep it down. How embarrassing, she let a friend get in the way of her duty. But, then again she wasn't expecting to ever come back to Star Stone, and she was too tired to remember much from the way back. Still, it was pretty embarrassing though. She'd never let her mentor or any of her clan mates.

The little she-cat sat there for quite a while before any of the cats appeared. The cool night a slapped her skin, reminding her of the season that had just passed. Although it was a relatively warm green-leaf, this years leaf-bare had been almost unbearable. Prey had been difficult to catch, herbs were out of stock, she often heard her mentor, before he was her mentor, complaining about that, and it was so difficult for patrols to get around. A faint memory of snow up to her eyes, her mother's tail curled with amusement as she eldest kit disappeared under the snow as she tried to sneak out of the nursery. The war, or in this case, cold memories of her mother made her quiver with excitement, she got to see her again today. The young apprentice's eyes closed with joy, and when she reopened them, and got quite a shock.

"You know you shouldn't doze off in the middle of the night, Miragepaw," scolded her white and ginger friend, her eyes showing only amusement. Miragepaw put on a look of false horror and flicked her friend with her tail.

"I liked you better when you were timid..." the silver apprentice joked. For a moment, it seemed Softpaw didn't get that it was a joke and blinked her eyes in confused until she caught on. Then her eyes sparkled with amusement and she batted at her friend's tail lightly. The little silver she-cat pulled back her tail and let out a little chuckle as another cat came forward. The silver apprentice was expecting it to be Dreamclaw, but instead it was the pale tabby she-cat known as Larkwing. The she-cat was the oldest living medicine cat, and ironically had not yet started to train an apprentice. Miragepaw secretly hoped she'd find an apprentice soon. What would happen to a clan without their medicine cat? Clearly someone else was thinking the same thing.

"Still no apprentice?" mewed another medicine cat as she moved past the eldest medicine cat. Dustcloud was the second oldest medicine cat, though she wasn't even sixty moons old yet, five years. As a warrior, she would only be in her middle years, not quite a senor warrior yet, but older than most of her clan. Her cheeky remake made Larkwing fluff up her fur, causing the two apprentices to chuckle a bit, which caused them to get a glare. Softpaw had the sense to quiet down, but not Miragepaw, who ended up having to have her friend nudge her to stop her.

"If your all going to harass me about my life, I'm going to head to Star Stone without you," huffed the pale tabby.

"But what about Dreamclaw?" asked Miragepaw, looking not at the tabby to threatened to leave, but at her friend.

"One of the elders is close to Starclan. He can't leave the camp until he's passed on," Softpaw mewed solemnly, her expression darkening. Losing elders was never good for a clan. Even when they told their stories to the next generation, bits of important was lost. Part of clan history vanishes, lives disappear, and grief grips the hearts of all the cats. The silver furred apprentice knew how it felt, though she felt no pity for her friend's clan, no matter how much she knew she should. It was their fault that the warriors were out of the camp that night, sort of, which lead to the deaths of the clan's three elders. But she could at least fake sympathy, so she placed her tail on the other apprentice's shoulder.

"And what about you?" the white and ginger apprentice mewed, trying to hide her sorrow. "Where's Quietheart? Is someone in your camp hurt? Sick?" Even though she knew that she should be able to tell her friend what was going on in the clan, as all medicine cats should be able to share their clan's weaknesses, she found she couldn't. The silver she-cat opened her mouth to tell her friend about her injured clan mates, the rogues joining the camp, and the elders' deaths but she couldn't. The words wouldn't form. They wouldn't come out, they would just sit in her mind, begging to come out while some irrational fear took control.

"No, it's just that Sunpelt should be having her kits any time now. Quietheart wouldn't leave her alone while she was like that," the young she-cat mewed, the true words slipping out but covering the rest of the story, making them sting at the medicine cat apprentice like a lie. Not that she hadn't lied before, in fact she found herself quite good at it, but she didn't like lying to friends over important issues. Then, to make things worse, Softpaw nodded with understanding, the sorrow slipping out of her gaze. New kits were as good a thing as the death of a clan mate was bad. Darn, the Moorclan apprentice could feel joy for her, and probably true sympathy too, but the Nightclan apprentice just felt self-pity and mistrust. Maybe the rumours about Nightclan cats having their hearts chilled by the northern wind were true.

"I hope she has healthly kits," the white and ginger apprentice mew happily, letting out a faint pur. "Right now, all the cans nee-" She stopped half way through her sentence, though the other apprentice knew what she was going to say, because Larkwing and Dustcloud were starting to head off. The two apprentice's started walking after them at a rather quick pace. They had to move faster, sicn etheir legs were shorter, but they quickly caught up to the other medicine cats.

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Miragepaw mewed, her words sharp with irritation. Dustcloud laughed it off, while it seemed to make Larkwing irritated, more irritated then she was at least. The two she-cats were just apprentices after all. She did not need to hear them criticise her for her decisions. With a slight snarl, that every one of the medicine cats saw coming, she snapped back at them.

"You two were wasting moonlight when we could be getting signs from Starclan!" the pale tabby she-cat hissed at the other two. Softpaw flinched a bit, she had not been a part of starting this fight and really had not wanted it, but Miragepaw was a bit upset and felt compelled to argue, when if there was no good reason behind it.

"Wouldn't you be wasting less moonlight if you had called for us to follow instead of running off without us?" the silver apprentice hissed out, getting ignored by the older she-cat. Assuming this was her victory, the young she-cat looked at her friend with amusement, only to get a scolding glare. Cocking her head to the side, Miragepaw looked at her friend like she couldn't comprehend that she had done something wrong, she was a Nightclan cat after all, it was in her blood to chase after useless fights. Softpaw let out a little sigh and spoke.

"You started a fight for no good reason. It's just not something that's done among medicine cats," the Moorclan apprentice explained, looking at her friend with sad eyes. The other apprentice, however, didn't really get that and tipped her head to the side with an expression of confusion plastered on her face.

"How would you know that? We been apprentices for the same amount of time," the silver apprentice asked.

"Well, it's because... Umm, it's that..." Softpaw mewed, not able to answer the question. The fact that she just simply knew it, from the moment she was a kit, wasn't a good enough explanation. By saying that, she would seem weird, well weirder then she all ready seemed. "You know, what, let's forget that whole thing happened. Anyway, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. What's a mirage?" That simple question made the she-cat's heart ache again, just as it had when she thought of the snow. She'd asked that very question of her mother, and even she barely knew. But she gave an answer that explained it a little.

"Well, nobody around here really knows. But my mother told me a story about it," the silver she-cat mewed, her voice soft as the homesick churning of her heart kept her eyes low. "When she was just an apprentice, my mother came across a lovely rogue she-cat who was giving birth to her kits. The birth was going wrong and all the kits were dying. My mother couldn't leave her, and she couldn't help, so she tried to comfort her as she died. When the silver cat was close to Starclan, or where ever rogues go after they die, the she-cat told my mom her name. Mirage, that was her name. Then my mother asked what that was and the she-cat said it was something that appeared to be there but wasn't. Then she died, and my mother gave her and her kits a proper burial. And when I was born, she saw my silver pelt and named me Miragepaw."

"So your mother named you after a rogue?" Softpaw asked, mildly surprised. Clan cats rarely got along with rogue, which was why they were called rogues, not loners, so naming their kits after one, well that almost never happened. But then again, seeing a cat die does affect one's personality drastically.

"She was a really compassionate cat," Miragepaw tried to explain. "She hated to fight, and was never much of a warrior, but as a queen, she was the best mother in the world. I really miss her, but she's with Starclan now, and she's happy. But what about you, what was your mother like? I bet she'd so proud that her daughter became a medicine cat."

"She is," Softpaw mewed, with a bit of pride in her voice. "But I'm even more proud of here. She's the clan deputy now. As a warrior, she's fierce and loyal, and as a queen. Well there were a few rough patches and she always seemed to want to get out of the den to hunt. But she was still a great mother, I don't think there's anyone I would have rather been born to." The two apprentices let out their own purrs, warm memories of their mothers filling their minds.

"Hey, you two!" yelled Dustcloud from over by the Star Stone, which they had just reached. "It's time to start the ceremony. We're wasting moonlight you know." Hearing this, the two apprentices rushed forward, going up to the stone and waiting for the older cats to make the first move. Larkwing laid down, the other cats copying her, and they all pressed their noses to the stone. The stone was ice cold, but none of the cats felt it for long, since by the time that their brains registered this, they were drifting off, ready to met their ancestors in Starclan.

When Miragepaw woke up, she was in a strange forest. Unlike last time, the forest didn't give off a mystical feel. Well not entirely. One part of the forest was beautiful, it's trees tall and amazing, it's sky covered with majestic stars. But the other side of the forest... It was awful. No light from any of the stars would ever reach into that place. The trees were too tall. The undergrowth was over grown and looked horrible. But all that was okay, because sitting right in front of her was a beautiful dark grey she-cat with stars in her fur and a scent that made Miragepaw's eyes water with joy. Once again her mother had come to speak to her.

"My dear little Miragepaw," mewed Sootflower. Coming up to her daughter and starting to groom her fur.

"Mom!" the little she-cat mewed, trying to shake off her mother while her voice filled with false anger. She couldn't be upset at her mother, but didn't she have better things to do then groom her. Maybe if they got nothing done today, they wouldn't be able to meet again. Now that the elders had passed on, she knew more cats in Starclan, so maybe they would be the ones to speak to her the next time she came to the Star Stone. She didn't want to risk that. The only thing that made her want to be a medicine cat was that she could meet her mother, and that she got to share a den with her handsome mentor.

"What? I didn't get to groom you when you became an apprentice, so I'm grooming you now," her mother mewed, amused. Miragepaw was about to say something about how if her mother wanted to do this, why didn't she do it last moon, but she didn't get to speak. Out of nowhere, the air turned thick. Like something too powerful was near and by merely being near it, there power was crushing the apprentice. Her mother, however, wasn't crushed but she did react with fear. Nudging her daughter, she spoke with a panicked voice.

"Miragepaw, we have to get out of here. We have to go, now!" shrieked the dark grey she-cat, her fear was making her louder than she intended. Her daughter tried and tried to get up, but she couldn't. But, that didn't make her give you. The dark furred she-cat grabbed her daughter's scruff and started to pull her away from the spilt forest into the lighter side. Yet, she didn't make it there before a strange chuckle sounded.

"My, my Soot. Are you so afraid of me that you would try to run? Oh how proud you make me," mewed a voice from the dark side of the forest. It was both flirtatious and innocent, cruel and kind, but, overall, it sounded evil. Still, Miragepaw couldn't understand why, but the voice was so familiar. But she'd never met a cat that seemed so evil before. Not even Sharpstar was this bad. Maybe she would just imagining the connection. Yes, she'd never met this cat before...

"My name is Sootflower, not Soot!" hissed Sootflower, baring her fangs in the direction of the voice. The voice let out a little chuckled and the rustling of her the bushes could be heard. Suddenly the pressure lifted off the little apprentice and sure turned to look where the voice came from, expecting them to be farther away but instead, they were right behind her. The source of the voice was a tiny white she-cat with a hint of silver in her fur. Unlike all the other cats she saw here, this cat wasn't covered with silver stars, like bits of white, but had dark dapples all over her, that seemed to absorb the light instead of giving it off. Something about this cat was incredibly familiar, even more so then before.

"Soot, I don't care about your silly warrior name. To me, your just another silly kitten playing clan cat," the other cat said, completely calm. The apprentice felt her fur puff up, this cat dared to insult not only her mother, but their life style as warriors, well Miragepaw wasn't a warrior, but she was still a part of a clan. If someone insulted her clan, they had to deal with her. But she couldn't get the courage up to say anything. Luckily for her, her mother had already snapped back.

"You're a clan cat too!" Sootflower hissed. "How dare you tell me I'm playing at being a clan cat when you choose this life style? You weren't forced, you jumped at the chance to be part of a group of cats who would train and protect you."

"Don't you dare!" the other cat began, her words filled with so much pressure that it forced Sootflower to the ground. "Don't you dare, ever, tell me about my life. You maybe clanborn, but that doesn't make you a true warrior. Back in my day, there were true warriors. Now, you cats have gotten so weak. All your secrets, meaningless. Everything you do is meaningless. All that matters to a warrior is fighting and hunting."

"Why you..." Sootflower growled. The hatred in her words terrified her daughter, she'd never seen her this furious in her entire life. The dark grey she-cat was relatively calm. She'd never seemed to get upset, so that fact that this familiar seeming she-cat could do this was somewhat shocking.

"Leave. Leave now. I have things to discuss with this little she-cat," the evil cat mewed, staring at Sootflower. The dark furred she-cat tried to attack the evil cat, but she just kept staring at her, using some sort of power to make her walk backwards, farther, and farther until she couldn't be seen anymore. Miragepaw looked longingly at where her mother went.

"Oh stop being a kit," hissed the dead she-cat, smacking the apprentice with her paw. "You don't need her. I know you. I know your soul, my dear. You don't need anyone. You will be so strong, if you listen to me."

"Listen to you? Why would I do that?" hissed the silver apprentice. "I don't know who you are. You attacked my mother with some strange power. You almost crushed me. And now your telling me to leave everyone else behind and follow you?"

"Technically, I didn't say the last part. But I was thinking it, which is a sigh you know me as well as I know you," the little silver-white she-cat mewed, wrapping her long tail around Miragepaw's neck. But I should introduce myself. My name is Doll, and I was the first cat of this Starclan to ever die."

"Wait, what do you mean this Starclan? And why don't you have a clan name?" the darker silver apprentice mewed, unable to hold back her curiosity. She just couldn't be angry while she was trying to get information out of a cat. Despite how she tried to be nice and loyal, Miragepaw had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She was pretty sure she would even let Heathersong live if she was to give her interesting information.

"This Starclan. There are many Starclans, as there are many groups of clan. Some don't know the other groups exist, like yours, so are aware of where they originally came from. Each new group of clan comes creates their own Starclan. The new group can communicate with the old, only as long as the new clans are aware of the old ones. Once that information is lost, so is the powers to visit the old Starclan," Doll explained. "As for my clan name, I have one, Tinypaw, but I don't use it. There are so many Tinypaws in Starclan now, I want to be unique."

"But which clan are you from. You smell... Strange. Not bad, but strange. I've never smelled that scent before," Miragepaw asked, the trouble with her mother completely forgotten.

"Well, that's because I'm from Hollyclan. But it doesn't exist anymore. Hollyclan became Treeclan and Moorclan. And Moonclan became Nightclan, where you live, and Rainclan," the evil she-cat mewed carelessly.

"Why did they split up? And does that mean the legends about Nightstar, Treestar, Moorstar, and Rainstar aren't true?" the Nightclan cat asked. Oh how exciting, she got to learn the true clan history.

"They split up because not every cat was fit for the each style of living. Some Hollyclan cats weren't fast enough, some Moonclan cats couldn't fish to save their lives. Hunting using two different methods takes longer to learn, and some apprentices will never truly get both. Basically it was a burden on their clan, so they decided that they needed to split up. The idea was proposed by those cats you named, and thus the clans were named after them. So, the myth is only half true," Doll said, pacing. She was worried about how much time they had left before the silver furred apprentice woke up.

"So how did the clans really start?" the apprentice asked.

"We really don't have time for this right now. I have a message to give you," Doll mewed, looking impatience.

"Just this one last question. I swear it will be the last," Miragepaw promised, not even thinking about what she was saying.

"Fine. There was a cat called Hollyleaf. She was from the first clans, the true clans. She was a half-blood cat, half Thunderclan, who are like Treeclan, half Windclan, like Moorclan. Because of a complicagted series of events, she ended up getting trapped in a tunnel. Her clan thought she was dead, and there was nothing left for her there, so she went to form her own clans. She gathered cats, me included, and started Hollyclan, with her as Hollystar. But then one day, without warning, she left. Later, another cat from the other too clan, Riverclan, like Rainclan, and Shadowclan, like your clan. He was Moonshadow, and he formed Moonclan, and moved into next to Hollyclan. The end, now listen-" the silver-white cat began, only to be interrupted by the apprentice again.

"How come your fur has dark stars in it?"

"Didn't your promise that was the last question?" Doll hissed out.

"I did, but-"

"Then shut up!" the evil cat hissed, reminding Miragepaw of what she really was, an evil cat who scared off her mother. "Now listen. I'm going to give you a message, but you have to figure it out yourself. _The blood flows from the sparrow, and only the rose knows why. Midnight and dusk, tighter they cry. The lark will rise, only to fall, destroyed by a blazing fire. And all that fuels the dove's desire. _Bloody Starclan, that sounded awful. I knew I should have rehearsed it. Anyway, you have you go now."

"But I want to learn more," the apprentice mewed.

"And I want to be a true member of Starclan again, but that's not happening. Now wake up!" With that, Miragepaw's body shot up next to the Star Stone, panting. Her whole body coursed with a dark energy, which was probably the reason why she woke up. That Doll had some strange abilities. As she calmed down, she realized Softpaw was speaking to her.

"Are you alright?" asked her white and ginger friend. The silver medicine cast apprentice nodded to her, but at the moment, she wasn't all there. Who was the lark, who was the dove? The rest was pretty clear, Doll would never make a good Starclan cat, but those two name. Thinking, she looked over the Larkwing. Was Larkwing the cat who would fall? And, what was the fire that would kill her?

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**Anyway, yes, all this was planned. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing. Also, please review.**


	22. Love and Lies

**Well, I updated again. Yes, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I didn't want to write that part. And, so thatg you all know, I'm starting school tomorrow, so updates will be slowed.**

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Once Miragepaw left his den, Quietheart was able to enjoy the day. Tending to Passionfire, who was healing quite well and would probably be out of here in a half moon, was the easiest of the three injured cats, which was surprising. Rosepaw was already good enough to leave the den and was resting in the apprentice's den, still unable to train but well enough to walk. Yet she kept coming into the den and getting under foot and was somehow never where she was supposed to be. Finishing to her apply her cobwebs again was just plain horrible. But no cat surpassed Joker at making Quietheart's duties difficult.

The white furred tom had woken up shortly after the pale silver she-cat had left. Since he had been out cold for a while, he was panicking, thinking he was still, in the battle he had gotten injured in, and immediately tried to attack the first thing he saw. In other words he beat the dung out of Quietheart. Before the black furred tom knew what he was doing, the former rogue had lept on to his back and started biting his neck, clearly attempting to kill him. It might have been quite funny scene, if seen form an outside point of view. However, it was not funny to Quietheart who was squeaking like a kit out of fear. He had never been fond of fighting and to him, he was getting beat up by an unknown force. Maybe it was Starclan coming to punish him, maybe it was Moorclan again, he would have no clue until the white furred tom was pulled off of him.

Ironically, it was the one cat he didn't want in his den who saved him. Starvation hadn't even made a sound as she enter the den, she simply licked her brother's ear and he released Quietheart, who was already on the ground, his legs gave out under him while he had Joker on his back. The medicine cat would never understand how such a simple gesture would stop an attack. Maybe it was a code, maybe it just made the tom feel safe, or maybe it was something else that the small black tom couldn't think of. Whatever it was, it certainly did do him some good. Injured cat shouldn't be attacking their cats, let alone the cat that was healing them. A few of Joker's wounds had torn back open.

Yet, healing Joker never did get any easier. The tom would struggle and complain like a kit unless his sister was by his side in which case, he would be extremely obedient. Still, Quietheart couldn't take his eyes of Starve for a second, lest she got if the herbs again. For brief moment, the black furred medicine cat considered stocking up on death berries, but she wasn't nearly annoying enough for that, and what if another cat came in and ate them, probably Sunpelt's kits. Thinking of Sunpelt's kits, he should probably get the herbs for the kitting soon. However, that probably wouldn't happen for a few days, so he could send Miragepaw out to do that tomorrow.

Thinking over the incident of what happened with the siblings, the medicine cat sighed. It had been like it was just a moment ago. However, that was before just after the medicine cat apprentice left, and right now, it was about moonhigh. How the night had passed and still he had gotten little done. The tom thought about going out and getting herbs, however, that would leave Sunpelt without help if she started kitting, even if it seemed like she would probably not kit for a few more days. Yet it was always a good thing to stay around just in case.

Since Quietheart had nothing else to go, he decided to start sorting through his herbs. It wasn't difficult. Miragepaw liked to organize the herbs and there weren't many left. With all the injuries, there had been no time to get fresh herbs. Plus, some things were already rotten. The cat-mint, for one, was ruined. Really the only thing that was still good was the cobwebs, but those weren't going to be any good for a birthing. Even the marigold was gone, he'd used the last of it on Passionfire the day before and what he used today was burdock root. It was normally for rat bites but in emergencies it could be used to stop infection. But that was the last of the burdock root too. He needed more marigold for tomorrow. Even though most medicine cats choose not to use marigold after the first application of it, he knew better. He'd had a cat get his wound infected in just one day of not having marigold on the wound. Since Quietheart taught nothing of it, he assumed it was just a fever and tried to treat that, not understanding it was an infection. Luckily Sparrowsong, who had been training him at the time, since his mentor had died, had noticed and scolded him about it. The tom still died, it had been too late to save him, even using wild garlic, dried oak leaves, burdock roots and marigold, but the black furred tom never made that mistake again. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Every since that tom's death, he applied the marigold everytime. Letting a cat get an infection because you're trying to save herbs in always out of the question. He never wanted to explain to a family that their father, mate, brother, sister, mother, or kit died because he of an infection he could have prevented. The look in Midnightsky's eyes, though he was Midnightkit back then, was something Quietheart would never forget.

But now was not the time to think about that. The clan was dangerously low on herbs. Since he couldn't go out of the camp, due to Sunpelt and her unborn kits, he would have to send a cat to do it for him. With a sigh, he began to wish that he never sent Miragepaw to the star stone. It wasn't like she would actually receive any signs today, or rather tonight. She was just an apprentice after all. Normally all the signs went to the clan medicine cat, not their apprentice. All of the encouraging stuff he had said to her before was a lie. A lie to get her to leave and make it so Nightclan didn't seem weak. Even though you could tell other clan medicine cat your secrets, Quietheart would never show them something that meant his clan was weak. He was sure Miragepaw was the same. That's why he didn't tell her not to discuss weakness. Thought Night clan seemed cruel and tough, they were just like everyone else. They had fears, and weakness, they were just the same as the other clans, however, there was one thing that made them seemed the way the other clans saw them as. That thing was paranoia. From birth ever cat was taught to be closed lipped about things, and the fear being close to outsiders. So they lashed out at the 'untrustworthy' cats, making them seem evil.

Continuing to think of a cat who could help him out, Quietheart stared going through the list of available cats. Not Starvation, that was for sure. She didn't know the territory well enough and if her brother woke up, he'd need her to get the tom off him again. Quietheart really didn't want to know why Joker was so twitchy, he just knew the tom was dangerous. Thinking of Starve, he remembered he finally got her to leave him alone by sending her on a 'special mission'. She was supposed to be keeping an eye of Sunpelt, since Badgerfur was banned from the nursery for excessive worrying. Last time Sunpelt had gone into labor, he busted open a wall simple by trying to get Quietheart and Sparrowsong to help. Ever since, when Sunpelt was getting close to kitting, he was always out hunting. That also crossed him off of the list.

Passionfire, Joker and Rosepaw were injured. Moondance was out training with Patchpaw, whose mentor couldn't train him at the moment. Midnightsky was flirting with Duskpaw again, even though he would deny it. That tom really didn't know his own heart. Still, it might mean in the future the clan would have more kits, so Quietheart wouldn't interfere. Rabbitleap was out patrolling with Eagleswoop, the small tom was lucky it wasn't hunting today. That mean the only cats he could ask were available to help were Bloodstar and Swiftstream. The blacked furred medicine cast had no desire to see what Bloodstar did her spare time, which had she a lot of, so that left only Swiftstream. Excellent, that meant he wouldn't even have to leave the den.

Swiftstream visited the den a lot, but not for Rosepaw, like she said the first few times. She liked to check up on Passionfire. Now she said that it was because she felt it was her fault that he got injured, but Quietheart didn't believe that. He was the clan medicine cat. He understood things he shouldn't and he saw right through Swiftstream. No matter how much she pretended she hated the black furred tom, she didn't how. As a wise cat once said, one can't hate that which makes it whole. Even if she didn't realize it, both the medicine cat and Passionfire did. However, she walked a difficult path. She was the clan deputy, having a mate could make her lose her post, if she had kits. Female deputies couldn't have kits. Female leaders could, but that was because they were the clan leader. Now that he thought about it, that rule didn't make much sense. Why did the leader get special treatment? But back to Swiftstream. She would probably visit soon. She didn't have much to do today. All the hunting and patrols were handled. And, as if on cue, the silver furred deputy walked into the den.

"Good morning," mewed Swiftstream. Although she was trying to keep her eyes off of Passionfire, they kept going back there. To Quietheart, it was quite humorous and he was sure Passionfire felt the same. The way that the silver tabby denied her own nature was both obvious and embarrassing. No matter what she did, the medicine cat and the flirtatious warrior could see through her. As the medicine cat mentally laughed at her follies, she was over by Passionfire, checking out his wound. It made the medicine cat a little upset. Didn't she trust him to do his job? How about she try being the clan medicine cat for once? But, she didn't have the gift for it. However, she should be able to fetch herbs for him.

"Hey, Swiftstream, could you do me a favor?" the dark furred medicine cat asked, his whiskers twitching at the deputy's foolish behavior. Did she really think that no cat could read her? He was the medicine cat for Starclan's sake. He knew every cat's true heart, or at least that's what he thought. In reality, the cat who was most insightful would be Patchpaw, who could see darkness in a cat's soul before it developed. Quietheart didn't have his gift, but he was great at reading cats, unless they were really hiding their true intentions.

"Oh, okay, sure," the deputy said, forcing her eye to go from the attractive warrior to her not so attractive medicine cat. Quietheart knew he wasn't eye-prey, however it was a little offending when you couldn't even look at him without a little disappointment. Thought you were looking at the handsome black cat, nope it's just the plain one. But, at least that meant that if any cat fell for him, it wouldn't be for his looks. Then again, that would be breaking the warrior code. Like a stone dropping in his stomach, he realized that being in love would be a crime for him. But still, he couldn't help but remembering the glowing feeling, the ability to talk for hours, the scent of that cat, and the way the world seemed so much more inviting with that cat. Swiftstream seemed to take notice of him drifting off and nudged him compassionately. Everyone knew he didn't like being treated as ugly next to Passionfire. Lucky for him, that was all she thought it was, not memories of his crime. That little bit of movement snapped him out of his daze and he shook himself as to try and rid himself of an imaginary scent off his pelt.

"I need you to collect some marigold and borage," the medicine cat mewed, his meow much higher than it should be. He was nervous, ashamed, and yet longing for that cat simply by remembering they existed. The strangeness of his voice didn't go unnoticed. Swiftstream gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything? How could she, he was the clan medicine cat. He walked half in the world of the living and half-way with the dead. Trying to understand him was like trying to understand Starclan, completely impossible for a cat who didn't have the gift. Even he couldn't understand them half the time, since they insisted on make all their messages so cryptic. However, they were good to hide behind. Nobody suspected a medicine cat's guilt. Even if their littermates noticed something up, nobody could be sure of the medicine cat's intentions. Cats you thought you knew changed completely when they started talking to Starclan. Every cat knew that, which was why a traitorous medicine cat was almost impossible to figure out.

"What exactly does that look like again? I remember tansy, since you're always bringing it to the queens, but I never get to see marigold before your chew it up and put it on the wounds," the silver furred deputy asked, her words spit out a rapid rate, as to avoid thinking of how strangely the medicine cat was acting. It always made the dark furred medicine cat's whiskers twitch, thinking of how every cat was so quick to avoid suspecting him. However they didn't twitch now, it was much too close today for comfort.

"Marigold is a low growing plant with-" he began, only to be interrupted by Swiftstream. As her name implied, she liked to do things fast, and that caused a short attention span, which lead to impatience. In other words, when she had something to say, she said it, regardless of whether someone else was talking or not. But the medicine cat had the manners she lacked. As soon as she began speaking, he stopped, allow him to actually hear the words that were flowing out of her mouth like water flowing down hill.

"Those are yellow, right?" she mewed quickly. Quietheart opened his mouth to tell her that they grew in another colour too, but she was long gone. Starclan, did she roll in the cat mint or something, or did Bloodstar do that the day she was made deputy. When the silver tabby got back, he would have to make sure that she really was right in the head. Then again, if he asked about that, she would ask him if he would be more comfortable living in the elder's den. Ever since she became deputy, she was really loose tongued around him, saying what ever came to mind and sounding like a kit half the time. She often times joked that he had the body of the young cat, but the soul of the elder, making him want to mention that she was much older than him. But he knew much better then to mention a she-cat's age. He liked living.

"She certainly likes to move fast," came the mew of Passionfire, the words laced with innuendo. Quietheart had absolutely no clue what that meant, but he could guess it was something he really, really didn't want to know.

"You're disgusting," he mewed as if he had an idea what the big black tom meant.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about," Passionfire mewed, seeing right through the medicine cat's act. "Good thing you don't I don't think you'd ever be able to look at her the same again if I told you."

"And that's exactly why I really, really don't want to know!" hissed the smaller tom, turning and working on sorting through the herbs that he had already sorted through. Really, he was just making up an excuse for not speaking to the older tom. He heard sounds of protest, but he wasn't focusing on the exact words. It was something about his heart breaking, but the rest was muffled as, Quietheart turning out of the den and stood in the clearing. Passionfire couldn't follow him out here, he could barely stand. The medicine cat felt a little bit petty for doing this, he was sure that Passionfire was trying to follow him. He might cause the warrior more injuries. But that was his own fault if he didn't respect his limits. Quietheart would not go back for the idiot.

The clearing was very clam today. Rosepaw was soaking up the moonlight, but she was the only cat today. Everyone else was on patrol, hunting or training. The quiet was very nice, and the medicine cat felt his eye lids start to close. Hmm, a nap didn't seem so bad. It was beautiful out, and no one was a round. If he was needed, someone would wake him up, surely. By the time these thought were formed, he was already curled up with his eyes closed, waiting for the gift of sleep to hit him. It didn't take long for that to happen, either. Soon he was dreaming, about to meet his love, when the world's most annoying voice jolted him awake.

"Quietheart!" screeched the cat, who happened to be Starvation, making him want to swat them. However, that would wake him up. "Quietheart, wake up right now!" The loud noise refused to go away and he attempted to quiet it by rolling onto his side with his paws over his ears. "Quietheart! Sunpelt is kitting!"

That woke him up. Without out another word, he got up and raced to the nursery. His eye still didn`t want to fully open, since he just woke up a moment before. Funny. No matter how much he slept, he was always tired. Maybe that was how everyone got, but he didn`t have time to ponder that. In fact he didn`t have time to even check the sky to see if dawn was close. Of course it didn`t matter anyway. He couldn`t sleep until Sunpelt was done kitting, and if the day was divided into twenty four even pieces, about six of them could be taken up by the amount of time it took a cat to kit. Labor was a long thing, and it got even worse went the cat gave birth like Sunpelt. She was not fun to be a round. The moment he came into ear shot of the nursery, the tom knew for sure that Starve was telling the truth.

``Badgerfur! You disgusting pile of fox dung! They we`re right to name you that, you are as evil as a badger! When you get back in here, I`m going to claw you to bits!`` yowled the queen. When she was delivering her previous litters, she was known to become incredibly mean and snap at her mate. The black furred tom remembered when he helped her deliver her last litter. She had even got so mean as to start insulting him. He was glad that had only been for a little bit. Mostly Badgerfur bore the blunt of the insult. The poor black and white tom had done nothing wrong and yet he got verbally insulted and threatened. Quietheart would never look at the bad tempered warrior the same again, or Sunpelt for that matter.

Creeping into the nursery, the tom felt his ears pin as if they were attempting block out the noise. There was screeching and shouting, louder than anything that the medicine cat had heard before. Or at least anything he could remember. Last time he was helping a cat deliver her kits, everything was so fuzzy. He always worked best when he was zoned out. It was like a second part of him took over. He could remember some things from that time, like the herbs he was supposed to use, except they weren't here right now, but he had luckily been able to tune out the screeching of the queen, however, now it became more of a shock. Checking under her tail, he stay that she had a long way to go before this was finished. Lovely…

Now would be a good time to tune out everything, but the noise was keeping his head clear. He would never be able to handle this. On a normal day, he couldn't stand yelling casts, and now he had to deal with one right next to him. That problem was the main reason why he couldn't be a warrior. He would freeze up when a loud noise sounded and was unable to focus when it was noisy. Even now he was trying to level his head, but couldn't. Clearly he wasn't having a good day. Sunpelt continued to make loud noise, and he continued to try and think. Nothing solid came to mind and the medicine cat couldn't seem to zone out. Yes, this would be a long, long day.

It was dawn by the time the queen had finished giving birth to her kits. She was exhausted, lying on the ground with her four kits suckling from her belly. However, the medicine cat looked worse off than her. His eyes were wide, his fur fluffed up like he'd been in a battle and he had a little bit of blood on one of his forelegs from where Sunpelt had bit him. The tom quickly learned his lesson about walking near the head of a queen giving birth. It seemed not everything she said was false threats. She would have done more if her last kits wasn't on the way.

Speaking of the kits, Sunpelt had given birth to four health ones. Three she-cats and a tom. The tom was a tabby, and the smallest of the litter. His sister were a rather large tortoiseshell and white she-cat, a small black she-cat with slight white markings on her chest and tail and a she-cat who looked like a tiny version of Sunpelt. From what the dark furred tom had overheard, the queen had named two of her kits. The tortoiseshell was ironically named Spottedkit, and the black she-cat was called Ravenkit. The other two she would wait for them to open their eyes. Of course, that meant that Badgerfur had no choice in the naming of his kits, but that was normal for Sunpelt. She always named the kits by herself, since she was in such a foul mood after giving birth and apparently Badgerfur choose really bad names. He'd wanted to name Rosepaw, Brownkit, but she had already had a name.

Poor Badgerfur was treated badly by his mate, and so he lashed out at the clan, and because he did that, he had very few friends among the clan, while his mate was extremely popular. Under any normal conditions, Quietheart would have tried to befriend the tom, but he was just so mean to any cat who got close to him. Badgerfur didn't like compassion, cats feeling sorry for him was worse than anything else. But Quietheart knew something about him and Sunpelt that only a few others in the clan knew. He knew they were only mates to produce new kits for the clan. Bloodstar had asked them to do that, but didn't force them. They agreed to it, even though they no longer loved each other. Just thinking about it made Quietheart's heart wrench. It seemed that in this clan, love was never easy. With that thought in mind, the dark furred tom walked out of the nursery. Hopefuly, the next few days would be much less eventful.

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**Sorry I had to cut out the birthing scene. I just couldn't write something like that.**


	23. Fragment

**I'm so sorry this chapter took so long coming out. Oh, that shame... But I was really busy. And just so everyone is sure, this a chapter of A Liar's paradise, don't let the beginning confuse you. Anyway, this chapter is sort of important, it helps figure some stuff out, though the full anwser won't be explained for a few more chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned everything, but I don't.**

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The young leader wasn't sure what was wrong, but she knew she was sick. Very sick. Normally, she would have gone to the medicine cat, but she knew well enough that if she was to do that, she would be killed. Her medicine cat was always ambitious, always wanting more than the power that her rank gave her. The white furred she-cat wanted to be both the leader, and the medicine cat, maybe the deputy too. The young leader had tried time and time again to convince her that she was already more than strong enough, but nothing could change the medicine cat's mind. At first, the leader had though that once the she-cat understood how much power she already had, but that only made her worse. Now Rosestar shuddered to think of what her medicine cat might do to her. The tabby she-cat had been leader for less than a moon, she had a weak grip on the clan, and was well aware that if the medicine cat wanted, she could take over easily.

The sound of footsteps sounded outside the den and the leader yowled to the cat outside not to enter, but that was ignored. A slim tabby she-cat enter, and Rosestar found herself examining every detail of the cat in front of her. Yes, the cat was slim, slimmer even then a Moorclan cat, a sign of her foreign blood, but her whole blood rippled with the hard earned muscles. She was a rather small head and a large ears, good for listening to orders, and Rosestar was sure this was also why she did not question them. Really, this cat would kill her own kin if her leader gave her the order. That was why she was the deputy.

"Tempestvoid," mewed the tabby leader, her eyes still examining the she-cat's features, a bad habit that made her a powerful enemy. "I told you that you weren't allowed to enter, yet you go ahead and come inside."

"I'm under orders, Rosestar," mewed the deputy in her blank voice. The she-cat had originally been named for the look of rage in her eyes as a kit, however, due to a drastic change in her personality, the she-cat lost that spark of rage in her, hence the 'void' part of her name. The world without a storm, and cat without her rage. Or any other emotions for that fact. This made it difficult for her to understand other cats, let alone let them order her around. She never listen to an order of a cat under her. And being deputy, the only cat who could give her orders was Rosestar.

"Well, my order were to stay out," mewed the leader sleekly, though she already knew what was going to happen. It had been her fault too. If only Tempestvoid had been a fully clan cat, this would not have happened. If she had chosen a better deputy, maybe there would have been no riots and the cruel medicine cat wouldn't have gotten her claws on a particularly important hostage. The leader should have known this was going to happen, but like she said, she was sick. She'd been sick for over moon, since the last leader had died, and her judgement hadn't been the best. Now, it seemed the cause of her illness was the herbs that the medicine cat was giving her, since she only got sick after eating the traveling herbs before heading to Star Stone. Now she knew she wasn't supposed to eat before meeting her warrior ancestors.

"I'm sorry, Rosestar, but you are no longer my leader," mewed the emotionless she-cat, moving aside for a cat to get through. A small white she-cat with light blue eyes moved in to the den. Even if the leader didn't know the cat, she would have been able to tell who she was. She stunk of the scent of herbs, and her pelt was unmarred from battle. Of course she was the clan medicine cat. However, if any cat saw the look in her eyes right now, a look that couldn't be truly defined under any true emotion, she would never be trusted as medicine cat again. Luckily, only the leader who had not trusted her for half a moon and the deputy who was a betraying her clan had witnessed this look. Moving towards the young leader, the medicine cat unsheathed her claws. Rosestar was aware that the she-cat would like nothing better than to drag them across her pelt. Well, it was better than some things she could do. Medicine cats knew how to heal cats and make them feel better. They probably could do the opposite as well. Medicine cats had quite a bit of respect from their clan mates. Part of that respect clearly had to do with fear. Right now, Rosestar understood that. She was very scared of her medicine cat. But, she would never let it show. Leaders had to be brave.

"Hello, Dovewing," hissed Rosestar, stumbling to her feet. Her legs cried out for her to let them drop her. Her body would never last in a fighter. Rosestar knew it. Tempestvoid knew it. And most importantly, Dovewing knew it. The small she-cat swept forward, not at an extremely fast rate, but one that Rosestar couldn't do anything against. She could try and run away as fast as possible. But she wouldn't. There was no point. Dovewing wasn't a warrior. She didn't have the speed or muscles that Rosestar did, but she wasn't sick. In an instant, she could over power the young leader, and so she did. Lashing out with unsheathed claw, she forced Dovewing bac onto the ground.

"Pitiful leader," mewed the medicine cat in a somewhat regal sounding voice. She spoke to her leader as if she was the rue leader of the clan and Rosestar was just holding the place for her, which was probably how she viewed things right now. Rosestar knew Dovewing had always wanted to be leader, they grew up together. She was surprised, originally, when the she-cast didn't object to her being leader, but now everything made sense. Dovewing took what she wanted, by trickery and by force. "You can't even stand anymore, can you. Isn't it sad, _my_ loyal deputy?"

For a moment, Tempestvoid was silent, though that wasn't strange for the deputy. She didn't like talking, but now it was for a different reason. She was a loyal cat, which was why Rosestar chose her to be deputy even though no other cat would. The young leader still remembered that a few generations ago, all the clan had been rogues, even if none of the other cats remembered. Tempestvoid could never stop thanking her, silently, with her work of course, since she didn't like outward shows of affection, but that didn't change that her first loyalty was to her kin. If it meant that her kin was safe, she would be Dovewing's deputy. So, after her pause, she gave a little nod, which was enough to please that half mad medicine cat.

"You see, she belongs to me now? See, aren't I such a good leader, turning you deputy to mine?" mewed the half mad she-cat, licking her leaders flank. A gesture that had once been affectionate now made Rosestar's skin crawl. "But, I'm not here to flaunt it. I'm here to take the false leadership I gave you. Since we were the best of friends when we were kits, I made you leader. But, since we only live so long, I couldn't let you keep that rank forever. Today, begins the reign of the great Dovestar!"

"Don't make me sick..." growled out Rosestar, only to have the white furred medicine cat step on her throat, her blue eyes blazing with half-sane anger.

"Really, Rosestar, I don't want to hurt you, but if you keep messing with me, this is going to get quite messy," Dovewing mewed. The words sparked fear in Rosestar stomach, but now it felt distant. Her mind was blurry, her body was going numb. It was merely a little bit of kindness that Dovewing had given the young leader. The herbs that made her sick, were making her numb. The medicine cat wasn't a monster, no matter how much she seemed like one now, she didn't want her friend to be in pain, at least until she made her angry. Slowly, the medicine cat moved her paw of her leader's neck and moved towards the exit of the den.

"I'm bored with her now. Take care of her, my deputy. Make sure to tear her up enough that Starclan can't bring her back," mewed the mad cat before exiting the den. Moving slowly, the deputy moved towards her injured leader. She lowered her head and clamped her jaws around the leader's neck. As the slight tingle of pain set in, Rosestar closed her eyes for a final time, as Rosepaw opened her eyes.

The sun was shining lightly into the entrance of the apprentice's. The young she-cat always woke up early in the mornings, before any of the other apprentices, and today was no different. Beside her was her brother, Patchpaw, sprawled out over the extra space that had been in the den since Midnightsky became a warrior. On her other side, a little while away, was the dark grey apprentice, Duskpaw. Rosepaw stuck her nose up in the air for a moment, trying to feel better then the less experienced apprentice. When they had both been kits, she always heard how smart and gentle the dark furred she-cat was. It made Rosepaw quite jealous. Rosepaw, who nobody ever thought of as anything more then plain. Rosepaw, who grew addicted to the slight bits of attention that her almost-mentor gave her. It felt nice to think she was better than Duskpaw.

"Rosepaw...?" mewed the dark furred apprentice, surprising her more experienced den mate. Instantly, she snapped into her falsely confident, but still manageable stance, the one she used to fool her whole clan. When the other apprentice gave her eyes and gave her a glance, she say nothing strange, and so she went back to sleep. Rosepaw let out a sigh of relief and exited the den before she was caught doing something strange again. As she did this, she cursed her stupidity. She should know better than to be her true self anywhere near any of the cats in the clan. Well, except for one cat, but that one was not one to be messed with. She didn't even want to speak with that cat. However, avoiding them would be the worse idea possible. She didn't want to end up like Sparrowsong.

As she exited the den, she noted that none of the other cats were outside, except for Moondance, who was guarding the camp. Unfortunately for the clan, he was asleep too. Stupid, lazy tom. He never did anything right. Rosepaw was aware of what he did, that he was the one who killed Sootflower. Ever cat in the clan knew, well except Miragepaw, but nobody was about the tell her. The little she-cat was already obsessed with revenge. If she found out her killer was her father, who knew what could happen. Rosepaw would be sure to keep that fact in mind for later. It might be fun to see how the medicine cat apprentice would explode. For some reason, ever since the silver apprentice became a medicine cat apprentice, Rosepaw had hated her. Not other of jealousy, or anything like that. She had no good reason for hating her, she just did. The same applied for the full medicine cat as well. The only explanation was that she just plain disliked medicine cats.

Padding over to where the silver furred warrior napped, she poked him with her paw before jumping back. This wasn't the first time she had done this. He was always falling asleep, and she was always waking him up. He never remembered that it was her who woke him up, or even that she was out in the clearing. Had she any affection at all for this cat, instead of distain, this would be considered a kind gesture. However, that was not the case. This tom left a bad taste in her mouth, but to let him get in trouble would shake the clan more than it was already shaken, and that would not be good. For the sake of her beloved Passionfire, she would keep the clan at peace. For now. Once her beloved was leader, as she would make certain he would one day be, she would make sure to get rid of all the lazy toms who ate too much prey and couldn't stay awake for their duties.

Stretching her back, the brown she-cat watched as the camp seemed to come to life. She was up later than normal today. The sun had just gone down when she woke up. No wonder Duskpaw almost caught her. If she wasn't more careful, bad things could happen. And being caught for what she really was the least of them. As soon as they started thinking that way of her, they would quickly figure out that she was a liar. And seeing her as a liar might mean they could figure out what she had seen. And if they figured that out, she would be banished, no questions asked. Knowing your clanmate was hiding something so important was something known of the paranoid Nightclan cats would stand for.

Soon, the cats were immerging from the dens. Just like every day, Rosepaw greeted them pleasantly. For some reason ever cat seemed happy, or nervous, she could never tell which they were feeling. For minute, she wondered why before remembering a conversation with her mentor the day before about suggesting her for the gathering. How stupid of her. She'd had to fake excitement. Well, she was excitement. Maybe she would get separated from the murderer. But not likely. Well, at least for a minute, she could be quiet and listen, and not have to fake. In a place where nobody was looking at her, and completely focused on some other cat. Even if for just a minute, she would be happy. However, it would mean having to fake in front of cats from other clans too. And what if one day she wanted to be true to herself? It would take a lot of explaining to sort everything out.

"Hey, Rosepaw," mewed her mentor from behind her, making the brown apprentice jump. Swiftstream had a smug look on her face as she rested her tail on the other she-cat's flank. Rosepaw guessed what she would say before she said it. "Go get something to get, you're going to the gathering tonight."

"Really?" she said with false joy. No matter how good it could be, she couldn't get excited, like the other apprentice's did. It just wasn't her nature. However, if her beloved Passionfire had told her that, she would most likely jump out of her skin with joy. While she normally only felt anger, disgust, or a strange, blank feeling. But when the handsome black tom was involved, she became, well, something else. She didn't know what she became, or why, but she just suddenly changed. A small part of her hated the change, but it was drowned out by her obsession. Ah, obsession, that was a good word for it. She was obsessed, she wouldn't deny it, but she was happy with that. If she could make that tom happy, she would be a hundred times more happy then him. It was nice having an attachment to another cat.

"Yes really. I know this is your first gathering, so I'll brief you on proper behavior on the way down," the deputy mewed. Rosepaw really felt like spitting on her right then, however she held herself back. The brown apprentice had to act a fool, but she wasn't stupid. In fact, she was probably smarter than the deputy. She saw everyone's true natures, you see. She saw how ambitious Miragepaw was, as well as that embarrassing crush. She saw her brother's dependence on her beloved, and his irritation at the deputy and Passionfire getting closer. And she saw how the deputy was changing. The stupid she-cat was starting to try and become close to other cats. Didn't she know you could only trust yourself and your beloved.

"Yes, Swiftstream," the brown apprentice mewed instead, dying a little inside. At first she just didn't like her mentor. Then she stared to hate her mentor, and now, what she felt was something beyond words. But her love surpassed words too, so she kept her silence. After all, Passionfire seemed to like to keep this cat as a play thing. But he wouldn't for much longer if she had a choice in this. Sometimes cats got too attached to their toys, not realizing that was all they were. But Rosepaw was real, and she was sure soon he would love her and drop the toy.

"Good, now I've got to go get the others," mewed Swiftstream, rushing off. As she left, Rosepaw's last bit of resistance died off, and she spit in the silver she-cat's direction. Disgusting. What a disgusting cat. But, oh well, it was time to eat and she wouldn't leave food just because she was upset. Walking over tot eh fresh-kill pile, she picked out a small mouse and began devouring it. Had, normally she would have to wait until she had fed the elder's, but now they were dead. It was a win-win situation. Now she got to eat ahead of time, more training, and she didn't have to listen to them complain. Surely ever cat must be as happy as she was about it. Then again, they had been depressed, so maybe they valued lives a bit too much.

Finishing her meal, the young she-cat picked up the remains and went out of the camp to bury them. She was still hungry of course. That mouse would barley feed a kit. But she had to lose weight. What if she still had some of her kit fat? How embarrassing. The only other cat who at as little as she did was Starvation, who took her name a little too literally. That as another cat that Rosepaw hated, part of a long list. The white she-cat was a rogue, she shouldn't even be there. Hopefully Bloodstar would come to her senses and banish that bloody waste of space, but not likely. With the way the leader had been acting lately, she was more likely to invite her to the gathering than anything else. It made the brown furred apprentice sad to see how her clan had fallen. But, someday her love would be leader, and then they could fix things up.

After burying the bone, Rosepaw trotted back into camp to find the patrol waiting for her. She hadn't even taken that long. Shouldn't some of these cats still be eating? How long had she taken to bury her prey? The small she-cat hadn't never had a good track of time, so she could have been out there for hours, mauling over her thoughts. After all, what she thought was much more interesting then the world around her. What other cat could see their future as vividly as she could?

"What took you so long?" mewed a normally quiet Eagleswoop. The she-cat had become more a lot louder now, since her place as the best fighter in the clan had been stolen. She hated Starve as much as Rosepaw did, something that as always good. It was nice to have an ally, but right now the huge she-cat was just being irritating. Rosepaw ignored the question and moved next to the also annoying Moondance. It was that or stand by the big and annoying warrior, her also horrible brother, who was twitchy about leaving his mate 'unguarded', her 'lovely' mentor, or _Duskpaw_. Right now, Moondance was the best option.

"What took her so long doesn't matter," mewed Bloodstar, walking forward without even so much as a signal for her warriors to follow her. "All that matters right now is getting to the gathering."

The patrol followed behind her quietly. Nobody wanted to get the cat upset. On any normal day, Bloodstar was fine, but before gatherings, she was a ticking time bomb, but that was to be expected. After all, she was the leader and she had a lot of responsibilities. Rosepaw would never want to be leader. She didn't have the mind for it, never mind the heart. She was smart, but her smarts were for herself alone. She couldn't calculate how to control a whole clan. Battle strategies weren't something she was good with. She could scan a cat, understand them, but never think for them. And her heart… Well, let's just say, anyone useless would be rotting in a hole somewhere.

Arriving in the clearing, Rosepaw felt a burst of pride when she saw her clan was the first there. Of course. The walk wasn't far and the other clans didn't live at night like they did. The clans have small, but wide territories. They didn't need as much space as their ancestors, the true clans, since they had so few cats. Of course, when breeding was good, they were always stretching their territory out. Killing rogue to do so sometimes, but that was life.

Finding a place among her clan, Rosepaw lifted her nose into the air, closed her eyes, and breathed in. nothing yet. The young she-cat continued to sniff the air for a good few minutes. It was that or talk to her clan mates, something she hated to do. As she stopped sniffing, she saw Duskpaw's ears perk up. Ah, one of the other clans must be here, and she could guess which one. As she suspected, Moorclan came rushing to the clearing, their new leader, Brackenstar, leaping onto the stump and greeting Bloodstar. All the clan had scars, except for a ginger and white she-cat. Then again, it hadn't been that long since the battle and some scars never healed. Sorting her way though clan, Rosepaw moved towards a deep brown tom, but Duskpaw had already intercepted her. Letting out a sigh, she went to speak to the warriors before another apprentice stepped in front of her.

The she-cat was about her age with light ginger fur and darker paws. The she-cat had a few scars on her flanks, and a lack of muscles, saying she hadn't been an apprentice long. They probably tired to keep her out of the battle. It would be exactly the kind of cat that Rosepaw would have attacked. If it wasn't a gathering, Rosepaw would have ripped this little kit a new hole. But, first that was break the truce, and secondly the two clans weren't at war anymore. A shame too. Rosepaw could see herself as the beautiful cat who helped out those dreaded medicine cats and got Passionfire to love and only her, and never that ghastly mentor of her's. Irritation stung at Rosepaw and she attempted to walk around the younger apprentice, only for the other cat to step in her way.

"Hi, I'm Lightpaw," mewed the she-cat is sickeningly friendly voice that made Rosepaw want to claw here even more. But, no. Self control, that was what held her back. The plain she-cat was a master of self-control, and some little brat wasn't going to ruin that.

"Rosepaw," mewed the Nightclan apprentice, trying to step away from the other cat but once again failing. Was this cat struck to her over something? Didn't she get when she wasn't wanted? Internally, Rosepaw growled. From the way the she-cat talked, she wasn't used to cats not liking her. She was in for a big surprise now that she was no long suckling. The world was cold. Cats hate. Cats kill. The sooner she learned that as many cats will hate her as love her, the better off she would be. But cats don't like to believe. They liked their little happy worlds, and Rosepaw would always hate them.

"Is this your first gathering? It's mine. Are you from Nightclan? I'm from Moorclan," mewed the she-cat, spitting out the words faster than a cat spits out crowfood. The irritation already bubbling up quickly turned to hate. They'd known each out a total of about thirty tail thumps, and Rosepaw hated her. Now she regretted not being there to beat her up in the last battle.

"Yes, it's my first gathering, and I'm from Nightclan," Rosepaw mewed, moving to the side to get past the she-cat again, only for Lightpaw to step in her way. How dare this cat stop her? If she couldn't even be sure of what clan Rosepaw was in by scent, how could she think she could keep up with an older apprentice in conversation? Conversation was more difficult then battle, which was why it had to be taught to a cat from birth, unlike battle that could be master when cats were older and don't learn as well. Irritating, irritating.

"Oh cool, what things in your clan are like?" mewed Lightkit, then realizing that Rosepaw was upset and misinterpreting it, she tried to 'correct her mistake'. "I'm not trying to steal information or anything I just thought it would be good to continue to conversation."

_Steal information from me?_ thought Rosepaw, laughing silently. _You're not even smart enough to worm my mother's name out of me. Thinking you could get information on my clan would be a long shot for you, kit._

No matter how she wanted to say thing, her self-control, already thoroughly tested got in the way. "I wouldn't think you would. Our clans have settled their differences and it will probably be a few moons before either is ready to attack the other again."

"Wow! You're pretty smart. I'd think you were the medicine cat's apprentice, but my sister, Softpaw, told me that cat was called Miragepaw," mewed Lightpaw. "There friends you see. I think medicine cats are pretty lucky to make friends with whoever they want, don't y-"

Luckily for Rosepaw's control, Bloodstar gave the yowl for the gathering to start. Rosepaw hadn't even noticed the other cats arriving. Stupid Lightpaw was distracting her. Going to sit with her clan, the young she-cat found Lightpaw practically glued to her side. It was all the plain apprentice could do not to let out a yowl of dismay and annoyance. Didn't this… this… this _kit_, know that they were supposed to sit with their own clans? Clearly not. When the older apprentice was about to turn to her and clear this up, she found the little she-cat had wandered off. Then who…

"Starclan?" she whispered out, only to get a glare from some cat, who didn't quiet here her words but knew that she was saying something. Good thing too, or they might have put two and two together and… No, no, that was non-sense to everyone else. But what if Starclan was mad at her for not telling on _that cat_? The thought of a weak apprentice like herself upsetting anyone was scary, since their revenge was probably more then she could take, but upsetting Starclan, well it made her feel sick. For a moment, the cruel creature she could be was forgotten and she was an innocent kit again, hearing about some horrible cat for the first time. With a shiver, she sat down with her clan and tried to listen to the leaders to drown out her fears.

"Nightclan is well," came the voice of her leader. "The prey runs as good as ever, though sadly, I have to report that our three elders have died. Killed by some fox, which was fought off by one of our brave apprentices, Rosepaw." The sorrow that griped the clan was nowhere near as disturbing as the mews of congratulation the brown apprentice was getting. What if this made Starclan even more angry? No, no. She was fine. She didn't do anything wrong. Besides, what was a bunch of old dead cats going to do to her. With that thought, she straightened her back and rose her head with pride. That was right, nobody was going to hurt her. Or, at least, that's what she thought.

* * *

**And she is still epically messed up... Anyway, review if you wish.**


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